Four parliamentarians from Chin State’s Teddim and Tonzang townships have demanded that the government set up an emergency response committee to COVID-19 in their townships, and to invest greater resources in Teddim’s hospital. There have been three confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Tedim Township—allegedly Burma’s first patient in the pandemic, as well as that man’s mother and the owner of a house where they were staying. All have sought treatment at Tedim’s public hospital. Lower House Tedim MP Pu Cin Sian Thang and Tedim’s Upper House MP Pu Gin Kam Lian, along with Tonzang’s Lower and Upper House MPs,…
Author: Editor
Khonumthung News recently interviewed Chin National Front (CNF) spokesperson Salai Htet Ni, who is also the organization’s Joint General Secretary 2. He spoke about ongoing armed conflict in Chin State, humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs), challenges regarding the distribution of food rations, and the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. What preventative measures are the CNF taking in its headquarters and military camps, regarding COVID-19? We are cooperating with village headmen, youth leaders and religious organizations in our territory. We keep a record of travelers in and out of our area. We try to minimize travel in our area.…
The mother of Burma’s COVID-19 patient ‘zero’ tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The Ministry of Health and Sports (MOHS) confirmed the 58-year-old woman from Keptel, Tedim township, located in Chin State, had the coronavirus yesterday (April 10). It’s unclear how the mother and son contracted it. In early March, after returning from the US, the son became sick and tested positive for the virus. Authorities immediately locked down the entire village to prevent an outbreak. The mother, her son’s wife and the rest of their family were placed under home quarantine for two-weeks. Pau Lum Ming Thang, the Chin…
At least seven civilians were killed and eight injured in an air attack by the Burma Army on a village in southern Chin State’s Paletwa Township on Tuesday, a local parliamentarian said. The strike followed clashes between government forces and the Arakan Army, and hit the village of Nang Chaungwa, located 10 miles from Paletwa town on the Paletwa-Kyauktaw road, which has been closed. The Burma Army’s combat helicopters reportedly dropped bombs on the community between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. “Seven villagers were killed on the spot. Eight villagers were injured in the air attack. Some houses were burned down,”…
The Chin State government is building 150 huts for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the town of Sami in Paletwa Township in an effort to relieve crowding amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a spokesperson said. Yet the new shelters will house just a fraction of those displaced, according to civil society estimates of those who have fled clashes between the Burma Army and the Arakan Army (AA). The Relief and Rehabilitation Committee for Chin IDPs reported that there are 2,612 IDPs from 630 families in Sami town. In nearby Paletwa town, the same organization estimates that there are 1,986 IDPs from…
Chin refugees in India say that they are facing severe food shortages following a nationwide lockdown imposed by the government in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The lockdown has been in place since March 24. Salai Cung Dawt, who is in charge of the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO), said that donors have contributed 14 bags of rice to assist refugees who are struggling to find food. Chin Refugees in New Delhi, India. “Thirty-one people from 11 families have nothing to eat. They told me they are starving. I wrote about it on my social media page. Some…
With both roads and waterways blocked between Kyauktaw in Rakhine State and Paletwa in Chin State, locals in Paletwa are facing severe shortages of rice, cooking oil and salt. Khonumthung News has learned that Burma Army military columns in the area have blocked the arrival of rice to waiting civilians and are selling it at up to three times the market price. Unable to get supplies from Kyauktaw since February, locals from five village tracts in Paletwa set out to buy rice in Lailinpi town in Chin State’s Matupi Township recently. The route to Lailinpi passes Shinletwa, where the Burma…
Burma News International (BNI) sent an open letter to the president and state counselor to withdraw all charges against several editors accused of violating the Terrorism Act. Nan Paw Gay, the chair of BNI’s policy committee, told Khonumthung News the government should protect freedom of the press and not criminalize it. As Burma transitions the road to democracy and national reconciliation efforts are underway with the ethnic groups Nan Paw Gay asked why the government is arresting journalists from ethnic media groups. “We want the president and state counselor to protect the media and this is why we sent the…
Eighteen ambassadors to Burma from Europe and the US called for an end to fighting in Chin and Rakhine states to prepare for the Covid-19 pandemic that has already spread to 181 countries around the globe after it was discovered in December of last year. A joint statement said: “We are deeply concerned about the high level of fighting, casualties and civilian displacement occurring in Rakhine and Chin States, and the threat of further conflict in other areas.” The focus for all nations of the world must be “on protecting the most vulnerable communities from the devastating impacts of COVID-19.…
With the aim of preventing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, some 299 returnees from abroad remain in quarantine in Chin State for the designated period of 14 days. The Chin State government said that of a total of 469 returnees, 170 had already completed their required quarantine period and tested negative for COVID-19. They were then discharged. Some 299 remained as of Tuesday. “We have monitored all returnees from foreign countries for at least 14 days. If they are not sick and do not show any symptoms of viral infection during the quarantine period, they will be discharged from…