Rallies in support of Aung San Suu Kyi were held in four Chin State townships on Tuesday, as the State Counsellor heads Burma’s defense against charges of genocide and crimes against humanity at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague this week. The events in Hakha, Falam, Mindat and Matupi towns were all held at 9:00 a.m. on December 10, and were attended by government staff, students, and members of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party. Participants held signs stating that they “stand with” Aung San Suu Kyi. Representing the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the African…
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By LALNUNA / KHONUMTHUNG NEWS Saturday, December 7, 2019 Leaders of the Chin National Front (CNF) have been cautious in their response to Burma being brought before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) by Gambia, charged with genocide. Representing the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Gambia filed the case on November 10, with hearings set to be held from December 10-12 in The Hague, Netherlands. State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, in her capacity as foreign minister, will head the delegation defending Burma against the charges. “We can’t say whether this case is right or wrong, whether we support it or…
Education staff in Chin State have contributed more than 6.6 million kyat (US$4,400) to the family of murdered teacher Dim Lum Mang, who was murdered in the Tonzang Township community where she had been teaching in the primary school. The 27-year-old woman was shot and killed on November 17 by a man living in her village of Tuivialzang. Marlar Yee, director of the Falam District education department, transferred the funds to Dim Lum Mang’s mother on Wednesday. “Our teacher was killed while she was serving as a school teacher, so education staff in every township [in Chin State] made a…
The Arakan Army (AA) will continue holding a Chin State parliamentarian in its custody, a representative from the group has said. Khine Thukha, an AA spokesperson, told Khonumthung that they are not planning to release Hawi Tin yet, who has been in AA custody since November 3. He was arrested while traveling from Paletwa—the township he represents—to Kyauktaw in Rakhine State to attend a meeting of the Upper House of Parliament. “[Hawi Tin] is a threat to us as someone who is challenging our security,” Khine Thukha told said. “We will continue to detain him until the situation is stable.…
Rights activists and organizations in Kalay, Sagaing Region marked the International Day of People With Disability on Tuesday by demanding that the Burmese government better implement existing laws to protect their rights. The event was held at the Mingyi Hotel and attended by disability rights groups, organizations focused on self-reliance, and the Kalay District department of social welfare, relief and resettlement. Burma passed its Law on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities in 2015, after ratifying the UN Convention on the issue in December 2011. “We want the government to implement this law,” Yaw Shu, director of the Disabled People’s…
On 29 November, Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR) from Italy and Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF) from Belgium hosted a seminar on human rights entitled “Intolerance and Discrimination Against New Religious Movements: An International Problem”. This seminar, held in Seoul, South Korea, was devoted to the protection of the rights of religious minorities targeted by the majority groups, particularly in the context of anti-human rights situations such as the forced conversion that occurred in Korea. Forced conversion, also known as “Deprogramming”, is a social issue that causes human rights violations by kidnapping and detaining the members of religious…
There have been 16 reports of the rape of minors in Kalay Township, Sagaing Region so far this year, according to a local rights group. Women for Justice reported that 12 cases involved children under 14 years old. Four cases concerned the alleged rape of girls 16 or older. Around half of the cases involved ethnic Chin children, who are believed to make up the majority of the residents of Kalay. “We feel that children are not safe,” Thanda Aye, who works with Women for Justice, told Khonumthung News. She added that even school was not necessarily a safe place,…