The Tatmadaw torched four buildings and arrested three villagers in Sagaing Region as part of an offensive strategy it’s pursuing in neighboring Chin State to weaken civilian resistance forces that have killed many soldiers during fighting in recent months. The Burma Army (BA) attacked Thayar Kon village near the Technical University near Kalay on the morning of 8 October. A woman who fled to town with other villagers after the attack told Khonumthung News that her friend was arrested, but she wasn’t sure about the other two people. “We took refuge at my relative’s home in Kalay. All our belongings…
Author: Editor
Most Kanpetlet residents fled the town after the Tatmadaw announced military operations in all nine townships in Chin State. Earlier this month, many had started running for safety, a source said, suggesting that no more than 1,000 of the town’s 25,000 residents remained. “People here live in constant fear. Everything is uncertain and clashes can happen at any time,” the man said. The Burma Army (BA), which is fighting with the Chinland Defence Force (CDF) in Kanpetlet Township and the other eight townships in the state, announced it would carry out the military operation on 25 September. Last month, there…
Villagers in Mindat Township are forced to subsist on maize and other vegetables after the Tatmadaw blocked all rice supplies into the countryside to starve the civil resistance forces it’s been fighting since May. According to a local source familiar with the situation, the Burma Army (BA) has set up roadblocks on all access roads to the township to prevent rice from reaching remote areas where there are many internally displaced people (IDP) and, in some cases, the Chinland Defence Force (CDF). The Tatmadaw are arresting volunteers trying to supply IDP camps with much-needed rations on the main road linking…
Life for Matupi residents has become even harder after the Tatmadaw took control of the sale of gasoline and rice, which were already in short supply in the town in southern Chin State. “Infantry Battalion 140 has taken over gasoline and rice supplies in Matupi… We have to show our national ID card before we can buy fuel, and each family is only allowed to buy 5 gallons (about 23 litres), which are sold once a week,” a local told Khonumthung News. The Burma Army (BA) fears that gasoline and rice will end up in the hands of the local…
Amid the rise of uncertainty about the present and future of humanity triggered by the pandemic, COVID misinformation, including the lack of trust in the medical field and misunderstanding in the religious world, increases various concerns in daily life. In the United States, rumors are circulating that the COVID vaccine is the “mark of the beast.” This apocalyptic biblical term is from Revelation 13 and is usually interpreted as being attached to Satan and subsequently diverging from God. Additionally, people regardless of religious background frequently encounter the question – does the COVID-19 signify “the end of the earth?” Shincheonji Church…
The State Administrative Council has shut down the Internet in eight of the nine townships in Chin State in the face of a major outbreak of COVID-19 and during battles with civil resistance forces in which it suffered heavy casualties. With the exception of Hakha Township, connectivity was cut off everywhere at 6 pm on 23 September. “We can’t access any website to get updated information. I don’t know why the Burma Army (BA) has shut down internet services in Chin state,” said a man from Tedim town. Many people rely on their mobile phones to connect to the Internet.…
Fighting between Chinland Defence Force (CDF) in Matupi Township and the military forced almost all the villagers of Nga Hlai to flee into the jungle. A man living in Matupi town reported that only the senior citizens stayed behind after the fighting broke out at around 2 pm on 23 September. The fighting started after the Burma Army (BA) arrested two residents, including a religious leader, in the small village of only 100 houses, about 30 minutes by motorbike from Matupi town. The Christian pastor Ngai Kung was arrested by soldiers after they found photos on his mobile phone of…
On September 18th, 2021, the 7th Anniversary of the September 18th HWPL World Peace Summit was held online. This year’s event dealt with the progress of international efforts and the plans to promote the peace agenda in the ‘New Normal’ era shifting from the post-Covid to the with-Covid. The organizer of the event, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), has been conducting citizen-centered peacebuilding activities to create “a culture of peace” advocated by the UN and international community to set up an environment of peaceful coexistence since the World Peace Summit in 2014. This event presented the concerted…
Almost all the inhabitants of Thangtlang have fled after the Burma Army (BA) shelled the town in northern Chin State, destroying houses and murdering a religious leader. This was a retaliatory attack after suffering defeat in battle with Chin resistance forces. The BA shot dead in cold blood the Baptist pastor Cung Biak Hum, for trying to rally others to put out fires in at least 19 houses that were shelled on 18 September. After the shelling, most of the residents fled to the Indian border, to the mountains or to villages in Thangtlang Township. “Now I’m living as an…
At least 19 homes in Chin State’s Thangtlang town caught fire after the Tatmadaw shelled them with artillery following clashes with Chin National Army (CNA), the armed wing of the Chin National Front, and Chinland Defence Force (CDF). A pastor was shot by the military when he attempted to extinguish the fires. Khonumthung News interviewed a local youth leader who requested anonymity to learn more about the situation in the town located about 40 km from Hakha, the capital of Chin State. Can you explain why many houses caught fire in Thangtlang town on the evening of 18 September? Combined…