The Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) special envoy for the Myanmar crisis, Theresa Lazaro, appointed by the Philippines, the bloc’s rotating chair, held two days of talks with Myanmar resistance groups. Discussions between Lazaro, who is also the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, and anti-coup Myanmar resistance groups were held on January 19 and 20 in Tagaytay, the Philippines. “The meeting was convened by the ASEAN rotating chair. First, we discussed how to implement ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus to resolve the Myanmar crisis and how to stop the violence. We also talked about the junta’s airstrikes on civilians, humanitarian assistance, scam…
Author: Editor
Nearly two years after taking control of Tonzang Township in northern Chin State, the Tonzang Township Council said it has begun implementing a new city development project. The council is administered by the Chin resistance group Chinland Defence Force–Tonzang (CDF-Tonzang). The council’s chairman, U Thang Suan Mung, told Khonumthung News that around 300 plots of land in the northern part of Tonzang Town have already been mapped out, and preparations are underway to develop a new city area. “Our goal is to rebuild Tonzang into a modern and well-developed city. The current town is built on a steep slope and…
Three organizations assisting Chin refugees in Malaysia met with Australian Senator Dean Smith to discuss the challenges facing Chin refugees in the country. Smith, the Australian Senate’s Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, toured Southeast Asia, visiting Malaysia and Thailand to meet with humanitarian organizations. From January 11 to 13, the three Chin refugee groups presented Smith with the difficulties faced by the refugees and discussed possible avenues for assistance. “The situation on the ground is really tough. We told him that more Chin refugees are being arrested in Malaysia. There were even cases where the junta picked…
The coup junta has sharply criticized Timor-Leste after it accepted a case filed by the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) seeking to indict coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and other top junta officers under universal jurisdiction for crimes committed in Chin State. The junta said Timor-Leste’s move violates the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) charter. Its Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on January 18 condemning the decision. Although it is a coup regime, the junta continues to claim it is Myanmar’s legitimate government. Timor-Leste’s action of coordinating with anti-state resistance groups undermines the basic principles…
Mizoram State-based Mizo Zirlai Pawl, also known as the Mizo Students’ Association (MZP), and the Zo Re-unification Organization (ZORO) staged a protest in the state capital, Aizawl, against the Indian government’s plan to build a fence along the Mizoram–Myanmar border. The two groups held a joint peaceful protest in front of Vanapa Hall in Aizawl at 11:00 a.m. on January 16. “The Indian government is planning to build a wall along the border that will separate brothers from brothers. MZP and ZORO cannot accept this. That is why we, as brothers, are protesting against a plan that will divide us,”…
On the night of January 11, the junta carried out two airstrikes in Falam Township, Chin State, one of which struck Tibual Cottage Hospital, causing extensive damage. At around 9:30 p.m. on January 11, the junta launched intense airstrikes on the villages of Tibual and Sim Dihai, according to Salai Timmy, spokesperson for the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF). “Around 9:30 p.m., airstrikes hit two villages. Sim Dihai didn’t suffer major damage, but in Tibual, the cottage hospital was almost completely destroyed, and a few nearby houses were also damaged. Thankfully, there were no reports of casualties,” he told Khonumthung…
During the two-month battle between junta troops attempting to advance toward Falam Town in Chin State and the Chin resistance coalition, a total of 26 junta soldiers either surrendered to or were captured by the resistance coalition as prisoners of war (PoWs). Two junta columns have been attempting to reach Falam since early November 2025 via Taingen–Falam and Waibula–Falam roads, but fierce resistance by the Chin resistance coalition has led to intense clashes. “Over the past two months, 14 junta soldiers voluntarily contacted and surrendered to the Chin National Defense Force (CNDF). An additional 12 were captured alive by the…
The Chin resistance coalition has successfully seized a junta-controlled military outpost on Kennedy Peak in Tedim Township, northern Chin State. The strategically important outpost, situated between Tedim Town and Kale (Kalay) in Sagaing Region, was jointly captured on January 4 by Chin Brotherhood (CB) Alliance members: the People’s Defence Force–Zoland (PDF-Zoland) and the Chinland Defense Force–Civic Defense Militia Siyin (CDF-CDM Siyin) of the Chinland Council. “PDF-Zoland and CDF-CDM Siyin worked together on the operation. We managed to capture the entire outpost and also took some prisoners. Right now, security checks are ongoing in the areas around the outpost,” said a…
Junta aircraft bombed Halta and Haiphai villages in Hakha Township, Chin State, on January 4, killing three people in Halta. The junta launched airstrikes while locals slept peacefully between midnight on January 4 and 2:00 a.m. on January 5. In Halta village, a bomb struck a family home, killing 40-year-old Te Tum and her two sons, while seriously injuring her husband. “Late at night, while everyone was asleep, junta planes bombed the village. One of the bombs hit Te Tum’s house directly, killing her and two of her children. Her husband was badly injured too,” said a Halta villager. The…
Youths in Paletwa Township, southern Chin State, have been banned from leaving the township under a plan to recruit them into the resistance movement, the Chinland Defence Force–Paletwa (CDF-Paletwa) announced. The CDF-Paletwa-controlled sections of Paletwa Township are being targeted for recruitment into the resistance movement, and all except those with special health and education permits have been banned from leaving the area since December 20, the CDF-Paletwa declared. “The ban on youths leaving is also a response to the current mass exodus from Paletwa. We’re stopping healthy youths between 18 and 35 from leaving the township. But we’ll make exceptions…