Hundreds of villagers are fleeing to the Indian state Mizoram to escape fighting between Tatmadaw and a civilian resistance group in northern Chin State. According to the Mizo media outlet Zonet, intensified fighting between Burma Army and Chinland Defence Force (CDF) in Thangtlang Township is causing the border exodus. Since the coup, more than 1,500 have sought refuge in the state. Pu MC Lalramenga, president of Tuipuiral Young Mizo Association (YMA), said there are 300 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Chawngtui and 60 are in Vaphai. Although the Indian government has officially forbidden IDPs from entering during the recent COVID-19…
Author: Editor
Tatmadaw sent in one hundred reinforcements during fighting with the Thangtlang branch of Chinland Defence Force (CDF) during the conflict that started on June 10 in northern Chin State. “About 600 people from three villages hid in the jungle when they heard the sound of gunfire and artillery shells. We haven’t collected a detailed list of the IDPs (internally displaced peoples) from these locations,” a CDF member told Khonumthung News. The IDPs fled their homes in the middle of heavy rain and need shelter to stay dry, food and medicine. With fresh Burma Army soldiers arriving in the area, clashes…
Authorities released three civilians on Monday in southern Chin State arrested after explosions happened in front of a government building and a Myanma Economic Bank in Paletwa town at the end of last month. A woman whose husband wasn’t released told Khonumthung News police are keeping six people at a government building and the police station in town. “We worry about them because they haven’t done anything wrong,” she said, concerned police will charge them. The military council released Aik Awng Thiha, Aung Naing Tun and Aik John Nyan Lin Tun (aka Apusu). After the bombing, Burma Army arrested 18…
The military arrested 61 people after a bomb exploded in Hakha on Sunday, June 6. Authorities released 28 people the same day. No one knows why 33 people are still behind bars. Most of the detainees are youths, while those released are much older. Three bombs killed three members of the Chinland Defence Force (CDF) in a house in Myo Thit ward in Hakha on Saturday evening. After the blasts, the military arrested 50 youths. “Some were just walking on the street when the incident happened, while others went to inquire after hearing the explosions in the house,” a local…
Outbreaks continue to spread in northern Chin State and Saigang Region. With multiple townships now affected, health officials announced stay-at-home orders for one of them. In Tongzang Township, two more people died from COVID-19. Altogether, four people have died, while 33 have acquired the pathogen in the township. A man told Khonumthung News his colleague, a 52-year-old pastor, died at 7 am on June 3 in Kyihka town. A 54-year-old woman died a couple of hours later. After medical staff tested 98 people, they discovered over one-third are positive. In total, health authorities detected 167 cases: 83 in Tongzang town…
After two bombs exploded in a southern Chin State town, the military council detained eighteen youths from civil society organizations. Seven were released, but authorities are keeping the rest locked up at Paletwa Myoma Police Station. According to a local, Sani Awng, chair of Khumi Literature and Culture Committee and Aik Khine Win, a medical university student, were freed in Paletwa town. Meanwhile, Burma Army blocked vehicles from Matupi and Sami towns and boats on the Kalandan River on May 29, raising fears food costs and other staples in Paletwa will rise. “They are arresting people without any reason. Youths…
A civilian resistance group denied responsibility for two bombs at a bank and government office in Paletwa, accusing an ethnic armed organization (EAO) of planting them in a small town in southern Chin State. A Chinland Defense Force member in Paletwa told Khonumthung News they had nothing to do with the explosions in front of Myanma Economic Bank and General Administration Development office. Both blasts occurred a minute apart starting with the government office at 7:15 am on May 29. “We would have sent a warning before doing something like this,” the official said. “We won’t make trouble for the…
Medical staff in a hospital in a small northern Chin State town struggle to contain an outbreak where there are seven active cases and only three health workers without a doctor onsite. Altogether, twenty-five transmissions have been detected in Kyihka, Tongzan township, from May 11-27. The senior nurse told Khonumthung News the cases were discovered during testing at the outpatient department. Most recovered and have been sent home. “We have to take care of all our patients ourselves and call the senior physicians to ask their suggestions before administering medical treatment,” the nurse explained. Doctors and other medical staff who…
On May 25, 2021, HWPL’s 8th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of World Peace was held online and attended by around 3,000 people from 150 countries around the world. This event is held annually by an international peace NGO named Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) in association with its affiliated groups, International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) and International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG). With several cases of international partnership for peacebuilding projects endorsed by youth and women organizations categorized by each region – Africa, Europe, and Asia, this year’s event aimed to discuss a citizen-led peace movement and…
Most of Matupi’s population fled on Sunday after a rumor circulated that fighting would break out in the town in southern Chin State. “Only a few people remain. The rest sought refuge in the villages,” a man from Matupi informed Khonumthung News. Last week, Burma Army arrested seven people from several villages in Matupi Township. Two are from Hpa Nai, two from Shengki, two from Herl Tu and one person from Kyok. Authorities eventually released two people. Police detained eleven people and are holding them at the Matupi Myoma Police Station. Burma Army is confiscating all the fuel arriving in…