By Lalnun – Drivers of “tricycle motorbike” taxis—motorbikes with a sidecar—formed a union in Sagaing Region’s Kalay on Tuesday. Led by members of the 88 Generation Open Society Institute, drivers of the vehicles held a meeting at Kalay Township’s city hall on Tuesday and established their union. “We heard that the regional government wouldn’t allow tricycle motorbikes in the transportation system in the future. It should not be like this. That is why we formed a union,” U Thaung Naing Thu, an 88 Generation Open Society Institute member told Khonumthung News, referring to a news leak that the authorities would…
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By LE TAUNG – Government authorities in southern Chin State’s Paletwa Township have warned internally displaced people (IDPs) not to speak negatively of the Burma Army to the media. The IDPs fled from their homes following clashes between the Burma Army and the Arakan Army in the Daletmay area on the banks of the Kaladan River on January 22. They are now taking refuge in Paletwa town. Township administrator U Koe Aung visited the IDPs, and according to members of the group he met, he warned them not to speak badly of the Tatmadaw if they were interviewed by reporters.…
Locals in southern Chin State’s Matupi town—located in the township by the same name—were alarmed over the weekend when around 100 military vehicles arrived in the area. Two more helicopters were delivered to soldiers in the town on Tuesday. Matupi town is the base for the Burma Army’s Infantry Battalions 304 and 140. Residents speculated that the equipment is designated for reinforcement troops headed to Paletwa Township in Chin State and northern Rakhine State. Both locations are the sites of recent fighting between the Burma Army and the Arakan Army. There are also reports of further infantry battalions and an…
By Lalnun – A trust will be set up to promote the rights of people living with disabilities in Burma, government officials said. U Soe Aung, deputy minister of social welfare, relief and resettlement ministry reportedly told parliamentarians at the end of January that the government had drafted a plan for the 2019-2020 financial year to provide education and work opportunities for those whose disabilities prevent them from going to school. Daw Siami (Daw Aye Aye Mu), an MP for Sagaing’s Kalay Township, brought up the issue in the Union Parliament, asking for the government’s strategy to assist those with…
By Lalnun – The 71st anniversary of Chin National Day will take place at the sports ground of Basic Education High School No. 2 in Kalay, Sagaing, on February 20, the region’s Chin affairs minister said. According to Lal Thaung Tun, who holds the ministerial position, the Sagaing regional government provided 10,000,000 kyats (US$6,572) for the celebrations. He explained that although there are more than 50 ethnic Chin tribes with varying traditions and languages, all of the groups celebrate Chin National Day. “If we celebrate together, we will be close and have unity among our Chin tribes,” he told Khonumthung…
By Lalnun – The Chin Progressive Party (CPP) released a statement on Thursday responding to an earlier call by the Khumi National Party demanding that Paletwa Township be designated a new district with greater attention paid to its challenges, lest it “depart from Chin State.” The CPP said that it stood against comments could cause disunity among the Chin people. The open letter by the Khumi (Khami) National Party released on January 28 warned the state’s chief minister not to ignore the problems in Paletwa. “We must be united among our Chin people. I don’t want to see any kind…
By Moe Kyaw – Eight ethnic Chakma civil society organizations (CSOs) demanded last week that the Indian interior minister allow people from Burma to apply for Indian citizenship in accordance with the Indian Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016. On January 30, the All India Chakma Students’ Union chairman Dilip Kanti Chakma—based in New Delhi—recommended that Burma be added to the bill’s list of countries whose nationals can be granted Indian citizenship after living in the country for six years. The current countries are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. The bill allows for citizens of those countries to receive Indian citizenship if they…
Workshops and religious ceremonies will require an application for permission to the Chin State government two weeks in advance, according to the Mindat Township management committee. The order also applies to international NGOs that wish to hold workshops in the township, the committee’s January 24 statement said. In the application for permission for such events, the background of the applicants must be reported, along with a biography of the trainers and speakers, an agenda of the training, pictures of any banners used, the number of participants, and recommendation letters from the village or ward administrator and the police station. Only…
By Lalnun – Traffic authorities in Kalay, Sagaing Region, launched a road safety awareness campaign on Wednesday in a move to reduce accidents and increase adherence to safety regulations. The Kalay district police force, township police force, township vehicles and traffic control authorities, fire fighters, and traffic police participated in the campaign on Wednesday. According to Police Lt-Col Aung Kyaw, policemen put road safety stickers on motorbikes and distributed helmets as a part of the awareness campaign. “It will be good if people wear helmets when they are driving motorbikes. We are doing this campaign as a part of our…
By Moe Kyaw – In an open letter sent to the Chin State chief minister on Tuesday, the Khumi (Khami) National Party asked that Paletwa be designated a district. The new district would incorporate Paletwa, Sami, and Miza Townships. Paletwa has the largest population of Chin State’s townships, according to the party, as well as the most villages. The township also is undergoing a new city plan in which it is expected to develop better transportation infrastructure, including an airport. It will also be a distribution point for electricity from the national grid. The open letter also highlighted Paletwa’s strategic…