Leaders of the Chin National Front (CNF) requested temporary political asylum for their families last week from India’s Mizoram State government. “After the Burma army seized power, we’re preparing for our families in the event of a worse case scenario. During this political crisis anything can happen,” Salai Htet Ni, CNF spokesperson, told Khonumthung News. The ethnic armed organization asked for asylum for 50 families. If there is political instability non-military families might have to flee, the spokesperson said, and CNF is also making preparations for them. “As an armed organization, we have no other options but to do this.…
Author: Editor
Members of the Election Commission (EC) from the nine townships in Chin State were arrested by the Burma Army on Wednesday, February 10. Lin Kyaw, the Chin State secretary for EC, told Khonumthung News that the arrests in the middle of the night were likely related to an ongoing investigation of the state voter’s list by the military government, which made unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud during the recent race before staging a coup a week and a half ago. Prior to seizing power, Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing demanded a recount of the November 8 election, claiming there were over…
The Burma Army ordered Chin parliamentarians to vacate government housing on Thursday, February 4, after stripping them of their titles. All the MPs, including Salai Lian Lwi, Chin State Chief Minister, Zo Bwe, speaker for Parliament and Soe Htet, minister of Municipal, Electricity and Industry, were being held at a hostel in the army’s camp in Hakha. While being detained by the Burma Army the ministers couldn’t contact anyone, including their families, Shwe Htee-O, minister of Transportation, told Khonumthung News. “They didn’t ask any questions or do anything bad to us. They gave us food.” Shwe Htee-O said he was…
The Burma Army ordered Chin parliamentarians to vacate government housing on Thursday, February 4, after stripping them of their titles. All the MPs, including Salai Lian Lwi, Chin State Chief Minister, Zo Bwe, speaker for Parliament and Soe Htet, minister of Municipal, Electricity and Industry, were being held at a hostel in the army’s camp in Hakha. While being detained by the Burma Army the ministers couldn’t contact anyone, including their families, Shwe Htee-O, minister of Transportation, told Khonumthung News. “They didn’t ask any questions or do anything bad to us. They gave us food.” Shwe Htee-O said he was…
The Chin Youth Network (CYN) condemned the coup d’etat staged by the Burma Army on Monday, February 1, in a statement issued the following day, after the Tatmadaw—as they’re locally called—took over the country and declared a state of emergency after refusing to concede to the National League for Democracy’s (NLD) landslide victory during Burma’s recent election. “We reject any acts of violence and threats by the military to control the country by military force,” the statement said. “We strongly condemn the military coup that damages democracy and human rights” in Burma. CYN called for the release of opposition leader…
The Tatmadaw Information Team claimed thousands of ballots cast could be fraudulent during the national election in Chin State’s Falam, Thangtlang and Tongzang townships. The group run by the Burma Army claimed to have found 12,992 overlapping and suspicious ballots in the three townships. On January 8, it said there were 3,843 suspicious ballots in Falam Township. A day later, it claimed that in the constituencies where its soldiers voted there were 5768 suspect ballots in Thangtlang Township and 3,381 in Tongzan Township. In many cases, the information team said that voters’ names were spelled incorrectly even though they registered…
After twenty-two people without travel history tested positive in Tedim Township, the Chin State Social Welfare minister requested for the Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment of COVID-19 to impose a ‘stay at home’ order in the township. Minister Pau Lung Min Thang said because the cases are domestic, quick action is necessary to prevent further outbreaks, requesting the order to come into effect within the next 24-hours. Since January 11, there have been 26 cases found in the state. Among the 4 transmissions discovered in other regions is a woman who returned to Tongzang Township from Tedim. Two tested…
Salaries for government staff working in Chin State’s restive Paletwa Township have doubled from December to March. Awng Lor Har, the General Administration Development (GAD) officer for Paletwa Township, told Khonumthung News that it’s a good thing for the school teachers and health workers who have to travel to work in the remote township. “There are many schools in Paletwa without teachers. We need to persuade more teachers to come here to work, and paying them double is a great incentive.” Since 2015, violence between the Burma Army and Arakan Army (AA) has destabilized the region, displacing one-tenth of the…
The government of Chin State was criticized for not doing enough to help civilians displaced by the conflict between Arakan Army (AA) and Tatmadaw in southern Chin State. Mai Nan Wai, the spokesperson for Relief and Rehabilitation Committee for Chin IDPs (RRCCI), said if the government did its job the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Paletwa wouldn’t need their help or from any of the other volunteer groups operating in the area. “Although the Chin State government hasn’t completely ignored IDPs in Paletwa, they need to pay more attention to their needs, and it’s something we’ve already brought with them.”…
The Election Commission (EC) in Chin State said that accusations of voting fraud during the recent race levelled by the Tatmadaw were unsubstantial and without merit. The EC was referring to a recent investigation by the Tatmadaw Information Team that claimed over 6,000 votes cast in Hakha Township could be fraudulent. After an investigation at polling stations in the township the Burma Army said that 3,855 ballots overlapped and a further 3,090 votes appeared “suspicious”. The investigation by the Tatmadaw claimed 3,026 people were registered to cast ballots without a national ID card. A further 2,938 had ID but their…