Soe Htet, a spokesperson for the Chin State government, said he’s ready to assume the role of chief minister for the state should the National League for Democracy (NLD) decide to appoint him. The incumbent party appears to have won 36 of Chin State’s 39 constituencies in yet another landslide victory, both in state and nationally. “I’m trying my best to serve our people and our state,” Soe Htet explained. “I have both domestic and international experience. I understand what our region needs. If the government appoints me, I am prepared for the position.” Some predicted on social media that…
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Health officials detected four cases of COVID-19 among individuals staying at a quarantine center in Paletwa town, located in southern Chin State, on Wednesday, November 19. Awng Law Har, General Administration Development Officer for Paletwa Township, told Khonumthung News that all of the cases are students returning from Yangon. “We sent them to stay in a quarantine center at Myoma Primary School where they tested negative for COVID-19. Three days later, during the second test, they tested positive.” A total of 31 were sent to the facility, with others returning from northern Shan State and Rakhine State. Officials are facing…
The Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) blamed the government for the fact that many people in southern Chin State couldn’t participate in the recent national election in Burma. CHRO field director Ko Tayya told Khonumthung News because only 20 percent of Paletwa Township could vote, it demonstrates the weakness of the government, which was unable to uphold the rights of the people. It could be related to “security” or “transportation”, he said, but it doesn’t change the fact that many have “lost their rights to choose someone to represent them” in Parliament. And the government is “fully responsible” for this.…
Villagers displaced from the conflict in Chin State’s Paletwa received blankets and mosquito nets from a local non-governmental organization (NGO). Ko Saw Pai, from Family World, told Khonumthung News that internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Paletwa town were allowed to choose between a blanket, mosquito net, flashlight or bamboo mat. With frigid weather approaching, most chose blankets. When they fled their homes during Burma Army offenses or from fighting with Arakan Army (AA), most couldn’t bring anything with them, Ko Saw Pai explained. “While we want to help everyone, this time we can only help 614 families,” he said. The…
Khonumthung News spoke with Salai Htet Ni, spokesperson for Chin National Front (CNF), about his thoughts on the National League for Democracy (NLD) landslide victory during the recent national election in Burma and what implications it may hold for the peace process. The incumbent party secured 396 seats in Parliament, requiring only 333 to win the election. What are your thoughts about CNF’s election results for the 2020 general election? Can you provide your analysis for Chin State? Actually, I’d rather not analyze the entire race in Chin State. A total of 11 political parties contested the election in the…
Some 2,000 bags of rice arrived in Paletwa this week after being sent by the World Food Program (WFP) to feed internally displaced persons (IDPs) after an ongoing food shortage in the southern Chin State township. Chin State government spokesperson and municipal minister Soe Htet said that the rice delivery had arrived in the town of Paletwa on Sunday, and more rice from Burma’s Red Cross had been transported from Pakokku in Magwe Region. He added that these organizations would observe the situation on the ground in the neighboring town of Sami to determine the assistance needed by IDPs there,…
With winter approaching, internally displaced persons (IDPs) in southern Chin State’s Paletwa Township, need warm clothing and blankets by the end of this month, a parliamentarian for the area said. Paletwa MP Salai Myo Hteik said there are more than 10,000 IDPs from 2,000 families in the towns of Paletwa and Sami who are in need. “It’s really cold there in the winter,” Paletwa MP Salai Myo Hteik told Khonumthung News. “IDPs could not carry their belongings when they fled clashes… They mainly need blankets and warm clothes.” He said that it is crucial to deliver donations of clothing and…
A lack of campaign funding led the Zomi Congress for Democracy (ZCD) to lose much of its stronghold in northern Chin State to the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) in Burma’s general election, the party’s secretary has concluded. The ZCD ran for 10 parliamentary seats, including nine in Tedim and Tonzang townships in Chin State and in Kalay Township in Sagaing Region. The party won two seats in Tonzang in the November 8 vote: Cing Ngaik Mang won a Lower House seat and Pau Lum Ming Thang won a state parliament seat. The rest went to the NLD. “The…
By Benezer – Some political analysts expected the Chin National League for Democracy (CNLD) to oust the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Chin State during the 2020 general election, which ended this Sunday, and not for the incumbent to dominate polls, as the NLD did during the previous race. But to many’s surprises, including CNLD executive members, it wasn’t to be. While the Union Election Commission (UEC) has not officially announced the November 8 polling results, preliminary data suggests CNLD has landed just one constituency in Chin State. CNLD secretary Salai Ceu Bik Thawng held higher expectations for his party.…
A computer error in calculating the actual number of voters in Tonzang Township’s Constituency 2 spread on social media on Monday, raising questions about an electoral race in the township and the number of people who participated in Sunday’s vote. There are a total of 8,043 eligible voters in the constituency. However, initial calculations suggested that Pau Lum Ming Thang, an electoral candidate for the Zomi Congress for Democracy (ZCD) had won his race in the constituency with 7,274 votes, and Thang Swin Zam, his rival from the National League for Democracy (NLD) had won 5,444 votes, for a total…