Chin State
Websites/Multiple Documents
Description:
The Chin are of Sino-Tibetan origin and inhabit a mountain chain which roughly covers western Burma through to Mizoram in north-east India (where they are related to the Mizos, Kuki and others) and small parts of Bangladesh. They are not a single group, but are in fact composed of a number of ethnic groups such as the Asho, Cho, Khumi, Kuki, Laimi, Lushai and Zomi, each with their language belonging to the Tibeto-Burman language branch. A mountain people by tradition, though this has been changing, perhaps 80 per cent of the Chin are Christians, while most of the remaining population are mainly Buddhists or animists, and according to some, a very small Jewish sect..."
Source/publisher:
Minority Rights Group
Date of entry/update:
2014-08-21
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Chin State
Language:
English
more
Individual Documents
Sub-title:
A pig virus broke out last month and is threatening swine farms in Htantlang township in Chin State, a senior Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Ministry official said on June 2.
Description:
"U Min Thein Maw, director of the ministry’s Veterinary Department, said that the agency has stepped up measures to control the outbreak of porcine circovirus type (PCV2).
“As of May 31, 187 pigs had died of the disease,” he said. “To prevent its spread, the transport of pig and pork products in the region is being regulated and monitored closely." He added that the disease is not communicable to people but could lead to huge economic losses for pig farmers.
Veterinary department personnel are conducting regular inspections, spraying disinfectant, taking samples and focussing on biosafety at pig farms. The virus is common in both domestic and wild pigs. Its symptoms include loss of appetite, hepatitis, and dermatitis.
These symptoms normally lead to death, while some animals die without displaying any symptoms, the department said.
The government is trying to control the disease, and once that is accomplished will try to meet the needs of livestock breeders.
In Myanmar, African swine flu occurred in Shan State in 2019 and in Shan and Kachin earlier this year..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-06-04
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
more
Description:
"Since the first case of COVID-19 was found in Chin State on March 29, businesses have closed and many working poor are now unemployed. Government handouts of food supplies were gratefully received but are quickly running out.
What is in store for the next few months for the people of Chin?..."
Source/publisher:
"Frontier Myanmar" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-05-18
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-18
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Chin State, Urban development, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
more
Description:
"...THE United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has successfully obtained access and delivered food to people affected by ongoing armed conflict in Samee Town of Paletwa Township in Chin State, according to the regional office of the WFP..."
Source/publisher:
The Global New Light of Myanmar, 2020
Date of publication:
2020-04-05
Date of entry/update:
2020-04-26
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Chin State, United States humanitarian assistance, Internal displacement/forced migration in Chin State
Language:
Format :
PDF
Size:
265.09 KB
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Activists and journalists say decision to limit internet access in some parts of Rakhine is a violation of basic rights.
Description:
" Continued fighting between Myanmar's military and the Arakan Army armed group has left several people dead in recent days as the government continues a clampdown on the western region.
Activists and journalists have decried the internet blackout the government has imposed as part of the clampdown as a violation of human rights.
More: Myanmar violence: Thousands displaced by fresh fighting
Students injured in shelling at school in Myanmar's Rakhine state
UN urged to suspend Myanmar return plan for Chin amid unrest
Reports on Tuesday said at least 11 civilians, including five Muslim Rohingya, had been killed after being caught in the hostilities in Rakhine, a western state that is home to more than three million people.
In a statement, four United Nations human rights experts also said "credible reports" showed that more than 1,000 people had been displaced in the 10 days up to February 18. The Myanmar Times also quoted the Rakhine Ethnic Congress as saying that more than 120,000 have evacuated beginning in November 2018..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication:
2020-03-05
Date of entry/update:
2020-03-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Chin State, Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
more
Description:
"A high-level Government ceremony in Sittwe, Rakhine State, marked the end of the Education Post Flood Response which ran for four years following Cyclone Komen in 2015. Led by the Ministry of Education with the support of the Government of Japan and UNICEF, the programme benefitted over 300,000 children in Rakhine and Chin states, reaching some for the first time.
A major achievement of the programme was the construction, repair and rehabilitation of 78 schools in Rakhine State with a provision of 37,350 roofing sheets to a further 263 schools in both Rakhine and Chin States. In addition, over 11,000 teachers were provided with training on a more inclusive approach to teaching and learning in the classrooms in both states. This included volunteer teachers from camps for the Internally Displaced Persons receiving for the first time the government-led Child Friendly School teacher training, bringing benefits to children’s learning at temporary learning classrooms in IDP camps.
The Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan (MSDP) has inclusion and equity as one of the cross-cutting issues, and education is one of the priority areas. “Strong long-term partnership between the Ministry of Education and UNICEF, with both soft and hardware interventions, result in a holistic child friendly environment which goes far beyond just the construction of schools,” said the Director General of the Department of Basic Education, U Ko Lay Win. “The Rakhine State Government guidance and support to the Ministry of Education has ensured the safety and access of Government staff, UNICEF staff, and contractors involved in construction, monitoring and training activities, even in conflict afflicted areas.”..."
Source/publisher:
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) (Myanmar) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-02-05
Date of entry/update:
2020-03-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), Children, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Chin State
Language:
more
Description:
"Authorities in Myanmar have charged nine students with violating the country’s Peaceful Assembly Law after they staged a protest Sunday against the government’s suspension of internet services in restive Rakhine and Chin states, according to a report by RFA.
The nine students organized and were part of a gathering of about 100 who demanded that the government reinstate mobile internet access in nine townships in Chin and Rakhine. Internet access was blocked in June of last year. In five of the nine townships, access was later reinstated, but then blocked again earlier this month, the report says.
Under section 19 of the Peaceful Assembly Law, the students could face a sentence of up to three months, because they did not receive prior permission to hold the protest..."
Source/publisher:
"Mizzima" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-02-26
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-26
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Chin State, Campaigns
Language:
more
Description:
"Authorities in Myanmar Monday charged nine students with violating the country’s Peaceful Assembly Law after they staged a protest Sunday against the government’s suspension of internet services in restive Rakhine and Chin states, home to fighting between ethnic insurgents and Myanmar’s military.
The nine students organized and were part of a gathering of about 100 who demanded that the government reinstate mobile internet access in nine townships in Chin and Rakhine. Internet access was blocked in June of last year. In five of the nine townships, access was later reinstated, but then blocked again earlier this month.
Under section 19 of the Peaceful Assembly Law, the students could face a sentence of up to three months, because they did not receive prior permission to hold the protest.
Sources told RFA’s Myanmar Service that police officers in plain clothes ventured onto the campus of Yangon University to make arrests. Six of the nine students who were charged were in custody, Reuters news agency quoted a participant in the protest as saying.
One of the accused students, Myat Hein Tun, who is the secretary of the Rakhine Students Union at the University, told RFA that he disagreed with the manner in which the arrests were made..."
Source/publisher:
"RFA" (USA)
Date of publication:
2020-02-24
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-25
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Chin State, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Campaigns
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Independent UN human rights experts on Tuesday voiced grave concern over the killing and displacement of civilians in north-west Myanmar during the intensifying conflict between the military and an armed group, the Arakan Army, amid an information blackout in some parts of Rakhine and Chin states.
Description:
"“Civilians, including children, continue to bear the brunt of this escalating conflict,”said the UN rights experts, adding that “we are especially fearful for them as violence has increased in the areas where an internet shutdown was recently re-imposed.” In a joint statement, the experts said that since the beginning of February, the Mayanmr Government had imposed restrictions, including a three-month suspension of mobile internet services, in Muslim-majority Rakhine state and in Chin state, the experts explained in a statement.
Further, credible reports showed that fighting and possible use of heavy weapons occurred near ethnic Rakhine and Rohingya villages.
“We are gravely concerned that children are being killed and injured, and that reports suggest weapons are being used indiscriminately, and precautions are not being taken to protect civilians and civilian objects such as schools and monasteries, in violation of international humanitarian law,” the experts said. On the one hand, civilians continue to experience severe difficulties in moving around the conflict-affected area, particularly for those in need of assistance.
On the other hand, heavy restrictions on humanitarian access in Rakhine state remain and access for the media and human rights monitors is extremely limited.
“We call on all parties to the conflict to abide by international humanitarian law and international human rights law and protect civilians at all times,” said the experts..."
Source/publisher:
UN News
Date of publication:
2020-02-20
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Chin State, Discrimination against the Rakhine, Discrimination against the Chin (Zo) -- websites and reports, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
more
Topic:
Chin State, conflict, Chin National Front, tradition, culture, ethnic issues, Paletwa
Sub-title:
Formerly banned by the military, Chin National Day has been proudly celebrated since a bilateral ceasefire was signed in 2012, but efforts to observe it this year in southern Chin State have been thwarted by armed conflict.
Topic:
Chin State, conflict, Chin National Front, tradition, culture, ethnic issues, Paletwa
Description:
"THE NORTHERN Chin State town of Thantlang has been chosen as the venue for inaugurating the 72nd Chin National Day on February 20, which is celebrated throughout the mountainous state bordering India. Though the residents of Thantlang are likely excited to be hosting this year’s inaugural events, they were not originally supposed to play host.
That honour was meant to go to the town of Paletwa, in far southern Chin bordering Rakhine State, but the state government decreed last October that the events be shifted to Thantlang because of fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army.
This happened the last time Chin National Day was supposed to be inaugurated in Paletwa, in 2017, and for the same reason. The venues for the last two years were Falam and Hakha.
After the Chin National Front and the Union government signed a bilateral ceasefire agreement in 2012, the venue for inaugurating the state-wide celebrations has been rotated to give each of the state’s nine main towns an opportunity to host..."
Source/publisher:
"Frontier Myanmar" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-02-18
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-18
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Chin State, Chin (Zo)- economic, social, cultural, political, Politics, Government and Governance - Burma/Myanmar - general studies
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Mobile internet blackout in four townships in Rakhine State among the world’s longest running
Description:
"We, the 29 undersigned organizations, call on the Government of Myanmar to immediately lift restrictions on mobile internet communications in eight townships in Rakhine State and one township in Chin State. We are particularly concerned by the Government of Myanmar’s recent reinstatement of restrictions on mobile internet access in five townships on February 3, 2020, after lifting restrictions in those townships earlier.
We call on the Government of Myanmar to release publicly the justification for the internet shutdown and all information related to the process by which these restrictions were imposed. The government first imposed restrictions on mobile internet communications on June 21, 2019 in Buthidaung, Kyauktaw, Maungdaw, Minbya, Mrauk-U, Myebon, Ponnagyun, and Rathedaung townships in Rakhine State and Paletwa Township in Chin State. On September 1, the government lifted restrictions in Buthidaung, Maungdaw, Myebon, Paletwa, and Rathedaung townships.
On February 3, 2020, a telecommunications provider reported that the Myanmar Ministry of Transport and Communications ordered the reinstatement of the restrictions in those five townships. The company published a statement on its website saying that the Ministry referenced “security requirement and public interest” in issuing the order..."
Source/publisher:
"Human Rights Watch" (USA)
Date of publication:
2020-02-13
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-14
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Chin State, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Human Rights Watch Reports on Burma/Myanmar
Language:
more
Description:
"Myanmar has reimposed an Internet shutdown in two conflict-torn western states, after partially lifting the blackout five months ago, a leading telecoms operator said late on Monday.
Norwegian mobile operator Telenor Group said in a statement the transport and communications ministry had ordered for mobile Internet traffic to be stopped again in five townships in Rakhine and Chin states for three months. A months-long Internet blackout in four Rakhine townships - Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Rathedaung, and Myebon - and one in Chin state had been lifted in September amid peace talks seeking to end clashes between government troops and ethnic insurgents.
Officials cited "security requirements and public interest" for the reinstatement, Telenor said, adding that four other townships remain under a blackout first imposed in June last year.
Tun Tun Nyi, a Myanmar military spokesman, said the army was unaware of the shutdown.
"We don't know and we haven't heard about it," he told Reuters by phone on Tuesday..."
Source/publisher:
"Reuters" (UK) via "CNA" ( Singapore)
Date of publication:
2020-02-04
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Chin State, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
more
Sub-title:
The Arakan Army (AA) has launched an investigation over the alleged rape of a Chin woman by one of its fighters in Paletwa Township in Chin State, a spokesperson for the ethnic armed group said on Sunday.
Description:
"Khaing Thu Kha, spokesperson of AA, said the probe against the alleged sexual abuse is being carried out but did not provide additional details. “We are investigating the case. We will take harsh actions if our members really abused villagers and women like what they claimed,” he said.
“We will go to the village and meet with the community leaders to find out whether what they said is correct or not,” he said, adding a statement will be issued as soon as the investigation is completed. Aside from the alleged rape of a Chin woman, the Arakan Army fighters were also accused of abducting a school headmaster and two village officials in Paletwa who tried to stop them from abducting a young Chin woman on Tuesday.
The three captives were later found dead in the forest in the forest between Inn Kho Wa village and Sein Sin village, according to the Khumi Affairs Coordination Council, a local civil society group, in a statement issued Saturday.
Khaing Thu Kha expressed doubt about the truthfulness of the statement, saying the Tatmadaw appears to be creating racial problem between Rakhine and Chin ethnic people.
Colonel Win Zaw Oo, head of Western Command, said the actions of the Arakan Army in Paletwa is not acceptable and will be dealt with without delay.
“They are brash. We are carrying out clearance operation. Now we’ve heard that AA has blocked Kyee Lay village and we will deal with this matter,” he told The Myanmar Times.
According to local civil society groups in Chin, the AA is still holding captive Amyotha Hluttaw (Upper House) legislator U Hwei Tin and 15 other Chin ethnic people..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-01-12
Date of entry/update:
2020-01-19
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Chin State, Articles, reports and sites relating to women of Burma, Women's rights, Discrimination/violence against women: reports of violations in Chin State
Language:
more
Description:
"AN airport, the first for the Chin State in western Myanmar, is expected to start operations in June this year.
The Surbung airport in Falam will provide access to the Chin state which is presently only accessible by road, according to The Irrawaddy.
Chin State Chief Minister Salai Lian Luai said the northern part of the state is gradually attracting more visitors, local and foreigners, but transportation remains desirable.
This was why the government plans to make the state more accessible and targets to open the airport by mid-year, he said.
The new link will also enable local residents to travel to other parts of the country more easily, Lian Luai said, adding that the construction of the airport is reportedly now 75 per cent complete.
The airport is being built on a 522-hectare plot in Falam. It will have a 1,830-meter-long and 30-meter-wide runway designed to handle takeoffs and touchdowns of ART-72 airliners.
The government allocated 37 billion kyat (RM103 million) to complete the airport, Lian Luai added. The project was proposed in 2013 and construction began in 2015.
The airport is situated in the Surbung mountain range at an altitude of 1,830m above sea level.
“In the Chin State, the rainy season is longer and hot and cold seasons are shorter, so we need to be careful about clouds and fog in the rainy season.
"Similarly, we need to be careful about smoke from slash-and-burn farming in the hot season, so we have to purchase equipment to help the planes see through them. That’s why there are delays,” Lian Luai said..."
Source/publisher:
"New Straits Times" (Malaysia)
Date of publication:
2019-01-05
Date of entry/update:
2020-01-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Urban development, Chin State
Language:
more
Sub-title:
A member of an armed group belonging to Manipur’s Meitei community is accused of killing a popular schoolteacher in Tonzang.
Description:
"Tedim township in Myanmar’s Chin state, which borders the northeastern states of Mizoram and Manipur, witnessed a huge rally of residents on November 30, demanding that the country’s army remove the camps of the armed groups belonging to Manipur’s Meitei community, and the cadres be expelled from their area.
The rally, jointly organised by 28 Zomi civil society groups including the Zomi Student and Youth Organisation (ZSYO), had over 500 protesters, who gathered to demand justice for the killing of a popular female school teacher in Tonzang area on November 17 night by a member of a Meitei armed group.
Locals said that the group has set up bases in the area since 2004, after a raid by the Indian Army led it to vacate its camps in Sajik Tampak in Manipur’s Chandel district.
It is believed that at least six armed groups under the umbrella group CORCOM has been taking shelter in the area. According to a report in The Irrawaddy, “A Tonzang resident, who requested not to be named, said that about 40 members of a Meitei insurgent group are living in Tonzang Town and estimated that 1,500 Meitei insurgents are living in the jungle.”
The militant who allegedly shot dead 27-year-old Dim Lun Mang, an ethnic Chin and a teacher at the Tuival Zaang village primary school in Tonzang, has been identified as M. Isaba Binod from Imphal (Manipur). According to the area’s residents, he shot at her after she complained that he was playing music too loudly and demanded that it be stopped at once..."
Source/publisher:
"The Wire"
Date of publication:
2019-12-05
Date of entry/update:
2019-12-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Chin State, Politics and Government - global and regional - general studies, strategies, theory
Language:
more
Description:
"Myanmar is building an airport in the far-flung mountainous Falam township of Chin state to bring more tourists to the region. the Department of Civil Aviation has said.
The authorities are using a state budget of 19.93 billion kyats (13.28 million U.S. dollars) for the first phase of the Surbung Airport project, according to the Department of Civil Aviation late on Monday.
Runways, terminals and navigation facilities are being built and 58.3 percent of the airport construction work are said to have been completed.
The airport runway extends 1,800 meters in length and 30 meters in width.
It is hard for people to move within the state due to the lack of reliable transport infrastructure and in the monsoon season, landslide and floods make it almost impossible to travel.
Chin state, having nine townships, remains one of the least developed in Myanmar due to a lack of proper transport and infrastructure..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of publication:
2019-11-26
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-26
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Chin State, Sustainable/alternative development in and for Burma, Urban development, Chin (Zo)- economic, social, cultural, political
Language:
more
Description:
"Since the end of 2018, there has been a significant upsurge in violence in Rakhine State after armed conflict broke out between the Arakan Army (AA) and the Myanmar Military. The violence escalated following attacks by the AA against military sites in January 2019 and subsequent counter-attacks by the Myanmar Military. The conflict has led to civilian casualties and the destruction of property that has spread to nine townships of Rakhine State (Buthidaung, Kyauktaw, Maungdaw, Minbya, Mrauk-U, Myebon, Pauktaw, Ponnagyun, Rathedaung) and Paletwa Township in neighboring Chin State. Ann and Kyaukphyu townships have been affected at certain points. The conflict has led to a significant displacement of people, some for extended amounts of time and some for short periods, with people fleeing violence subsequently returning to their homes within a few days or weeks. While fighting has occurred largely in rural areas and remote locations, key transport routes and urban and semi-urban areas have also been impacted. Tens of thousands of civilians living in villages have been caught in the middle of intense armed conflict..."
Source/publisher:
OCHA (New York), UNHCH (Geneva) via Reliefweb (USA)
Date of publication:
2019-11-01
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-23
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), UNHCR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State, Non-Ceasefire Groups, Chin State
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
351.77 KB (8 pages)
more
Topic:
Rakhine, Chin State, Arakan Army,Tatmadaw, IDPs, United Nations, Yanghee Leetorture
Topic:
Rakhine, Chin State, Arakan Army,Tatmadaw, IDPs, United Nations, Yanghee Leetorture
Description:
"Tens of thousands of people have been displaced across Myanmar's Rakhine and Chin states this year, as the military battles the Arakan Army, a UN rights expert said Monday.
"Up to 65,000 people have been displaced by the conflict across northern Rakhine and southern Chin States since January," said Ms Yanghee Lee, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights situation in Myanmar.
Myanmar's army has deployed thousands of troops there in recent months to try to crush the AA, which is fighting for more autonomy for ethnic Rakhine.
Presenting an update on the situation in Myanmar to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Lee pointed out that the military had been "using helicopter gunships against the Arakan Army."
"Both sides are accused of indiscriminate use of heavy artillery fire, gunfire and landmines in civilian areas," she said.
At the same time, humanitarian access "remains heavily restricted by the state government in conflict-affected townships, significantly depriving at least 100,000 people of assistance and basic services."
And "imposed curfews are preventing people from reaching livelihoods, medical treatment and safe passage," she warned.
Lee said in recent months she had continued to receive reports of civilians, including children, being killed, either because they were targeted or hit with indiscriminate fire in the region..."
Source/publisher:
"Frontier Myanmar" (Myanmar) via AFP
Date of publication:
2019-09-17
Date of entry/update:
2019-09-17
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Chin State, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Discrimination against the Rakhine, Discrimination against the Chin (Zo) -- websites and reports
Language:
more
Description:
" This History Thread is a brief sketch of the #MilitaryHistory of the mountain homeland of people known as #Chin in Burma/Myanmar. Some, particularly #Zomi of northern #ChinState prefer their local ethnic name. Terms used in this thread include historic designations.
Cultural identity transcending current borders relates peoples of NE India (including Mizoram, some of Manipur), certain Bangladesh highlanders and peoples of Myanmar/Burma’s Chin State plus some in Sagaing Div. and N. Rakhine St. Their region is often called Zoland or Zoram.
People who would become known as Zomi or as Chin migrated south, settled Chindwin valleys, then uplands pre-1000 AD. Mountains were protective fortress but also fragmentation factor. Clans often raided each other, particularly in 1500s-1600s, pushing some groups west or south..."
Source/publisher:
"Project Maje"
Date of publication:
2019-01-16
Date of entry/update:
2019-09-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
more
Description:
"This History Thread is about refugee diaspora of people from #Chin State Burma/Myanmar. Their ethnicity often identified as “Chin.” Some, particularly #Zomi of northern #ChinState prefer local ethnic name. Intl refugee agencies mostly use “Chin” & sometimes “Zo” designations. Chin State is one of the most isolated, economically marginalized regions of Burma/Myanmar. Borders India and Bangladesh. Cultural identity transcending current borders relates to ethnic groups in NE India, Bangladesh hills; also some peoples of Sagaing Div. and N. Rakhine St.
Armed resistance to Burma/Myanmar military rule sporadic in Chin St. but increasing Tatmadaw (Myanmar army) occupation since early 1990s. Refugees fled forced labor, persecution of Christians. Their escape routes aren’t always directly across 1 border. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs/Western_Front.htm …."
Source/publisher:
"Project Maje"
Date of publication:
2019-02-20
Date of entry/update:
2019-09-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Chin State, Chin (Zo)- economic, social, cultural, political, Refugees from Burma: general reports
Language:
more
Title: Lift Internet-Blackout in Rakhine and Chin States: Ensure Access for Aid Groups and Monitors.
Description:
"Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi should immediately lift an internet blackout that the government has imposed for more than one month in western Myanmar, Fortify Rights said today. On June 21, the government ordered the shutdown of internet services in nine townships—eight in Rakhine State and one in Chin State—severely impeding humanitarian aid, business, media access, and human rights monitoring.
“We can’t move anywhere and now we can’t communicate with anyone,” a Rohingya resident in Maungdaw Township told Fortify Rights. “We are in total darkness.”
“The civilian government imposed this blackout, and it can lift it,” said Matthew Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Fortify Rights. “This shutdown is happening in a context of ongoing genocide against Rohingya and war crimes against Rakhine, and even if it were intended to target militants, it’s egregiously disproportionate, affecting an estimated one million civilians for nearly a month.”
The Myanmar Ministry of Transport and Communications directed all mobile phone operators in Myanmar to disable internet services in Ponnangyun, Kyauktaw, Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Mrauk-U, Minbya, and Myebon townships in Rakhine State, and Paletwa township in Chin State. The Myanmar military and Arakan Army are fighting in these areas, and many of the areas are sites of previous military-led attacks against Rohingya civilians.
A local aid worker in northern Rakhine State who works for an international non-governmental organization told Fortify Rights: “We have no access to information…Providing aid without internet is very difficult. We cannot share information and communicate effectively with the headquarters or other offices to deliver aid.”
The length of this shutdown is one of the world’s longest ever and is disproportionately affecting civilians and their protection, Fortify Rights said.
A vague provision of the 2013 Telecommunications Law permits the suspension of internet services “when an emergency situation arises” and “for public interest.”..."
Source/publisher:
"Progressive Voice" via Fortify Rights
Date of publication:
2019-07-22
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-06
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Chin State, Racial or ethnic discrimination in Burma: reports of violations against several groups
Language:
more
Description:
"The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is implementing a project
entitled “Sustainable Cropland and forest management in priority agro-ecosystems of Myanmar
(SLM-GEF)” in coordination with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental
Conservation (MoNREC) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MoALI)
with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). AVSI Foundation has been
contracted to develop the National Farmer Field School (FFS) curriculum and FFS Handbook.
AVSI Foundation has developed a FFS curriculum/module on climate smart agriculture (CSA)
techniques/practices for each selected agricultural crop and for each of the three agro-ecological
zones incorporating solutions to the major problems identified during the need assessments and
also considering the findings of value chain analysis.
The Farmer Field School (FFS) is a learning process whereby a group of farmers come together
and engage in a process of hands-on field-based learning process over a season/ production cycle.
FFS is a time-bound learning by doing activity with a beginning and an end and aims to solve
the problems related to cultivating crops.
FFS is a platform for holistic learning, and should address issues and aspects that directly or
indirectly contribute to the performance of the local farming system, even if these issues are not
agriculture-based as such.
All FFS programmes need to integrate programming on gender equality and nutrition concerns
in FFS development. Gender norms, roles and customs are very relevant for FFS implementation
such as assessment and targeting of the specific needs of male and female farmers, selection and
gender awareness of facilitators, and composition of an FFS group (with adequate representation
of women and girls) and targeting the specific needs and priorities of men and women.
This module of FFS has been designed to increase agricultural productivity of the priority crops
in Chin State (Mindat and Kanpetlet Townships) by addressing the challenges identified during
the needs assessments based on knowledge systems and practices by FAO with support of AVSI
as a Service Provider. During the need assessment cultural barriers for FFS implementation,
gender norms, traditions, etc. were considered. Generally, it’s been observed that farmers, both
men and women, have low knowledge of climate smart agriculture (CSA). The learning
objectives of the proposed FFS modules are to: Empower farmers (both men and women) with knowledge and skills to improve the
productivity of their main crops.
• Sharpen the farmers’ ability to make critical and informed decisions that render their
farming profitable and climate-smart for both male and female farmers.
• To sensitize farmers in new ways of thinking and solve problems linked to climate
changes.
• Help farmers learn how to organize themselves and their communities, with a focus
on women and girls..."
Source/publisher:
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Date of publication:
2019-01-01
Date of entry/update:
2019-06-17
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Agriculture in Burma/Myanmar: general and research, Smallholder farming and farmers in Burma/Myanmar, Food Security in Burma/Myanmar - web searches, specialised groups, reports and statistics, Chin State, Climate Change - Migration Burma/Myanmar, Sustainable/alternative development in and for Burma
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
319.43 KB
more
Description:
"Chin State in western Burma borders India and Bangladesh and, though receiving little attention from international media or rights groups, continues, like much of the rest of Burma, to suffer the effects of poor governance and on-going conflict. Chin Free Burma Ranger teams have reported incidents of civilian landmine victims and displacement from fighting in just the last two months.
On 20 September Mrs. Daw Phit Leik (28) of Nga Tein Village, Paletwah Township, and five friends went into the jungle to pick vegetables. Whilst doing so, she stepped on a mine and was killed. An 18-year old woman, Miss Tein Tin, was also injured by the blast, according to Chin Rangers.
On 29 Oct, at 11:00 a.m., Mr. U Hwe Htan, aged 35 and the father of six from Rat Chaung Village, Paletwah Township, stepped on a mine and was severely hurt. He was taken to Paletwah Hospital, but the extent of his injuries means that he will need to transfer to the main hospital in Sittwe..."
Source/publisher:
Free Burma Rangers
Date of publication:
2018-11-09
Date of entry/update:
2018-12-13
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Anti-Personnel Landmines - Specialist organisations and commentary, Burma: Internal displacement/forced migration of several ethnic groups., Discrimination against the Chin (Zo) -- websites and reports, Chin State
Language:
English
more
Description:
Abstract:-
Background:
"The Chin State of Burma (also known as Myanmar) is an isolated ethnic minority area with poor health outcomes and reports of food insecurity and human rights violations. We report on a population-based assessment of health and human rights in Chin State. We sought to quantify reported human rights violations in Chin State and associations between these reported violations and health status at the household level.
Methods and Findings
Multistaged household cluster sampling was done. Heads of household were interviewed on demographics, access to health care, health status, food insecurity, forced displacement, forced labor, and other human rights violations during the preceding 12 months. Ratios of the prevalence of household hunger comparing exposed and unexposed to each reported violation were estimated using binomial regression, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were constructed. Multivariate models were done to adjust for possible confounders. Overall, 91.9% of households (95% CI 89.7%?94.1%) reported forced labor in the past 12 months. Forty-three percent of households met FANTA-2 (Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance II project) definitions for moderate to severe household hunger. Common violations reported were food theft, livestock theft or killing, forced displacement, beatings and torture, detentions, disappearances, and religious and ethnic persecution. Self reporting of multiple rights abuses was independently associated with household hunger.
Conclusions
Our findings indicate widespread self-reports of human rights violations. The nature and extent of these violations may warrant investigation by the United Nations or International Criminal Court..."
Richard Sollom, Adam K. Richards, Parveen Parmar, Luke C. Mullany, Salai Bawi Lian, Vincent Iacopino, Chris Beyrer
Source/publisher:
PLOS Medicine
Date of publication:
2011-02-08
Date of entry/update:
2016-11-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Chin State, Conflict and health, including violations of humanitarian and human rights standards as threats to health
Language:
English
more
Description:
Highlights:
•
Cyclone Komen made landfall in Myanmar at the end of July 2015
causing extensive flooding to
agricultural land, which remained
submerged
in some areas until September. This caused severe
localized losses to the 2015 monsoon season crops, especially p
addy, in Chin, Rakhine,
Ayeyarwaddy, Yangon, Sagaing
and parts of Bago. However, once the water receded, a large portion
of the flooded areas with paddy was replanted. Overall, the amount of irreversible damage was
limited.
•
At 27.5 million tonnes, the
aggregate
national production
of paddy,
the country?s staple food, in
2015
(monsoon season 2015 and ongoing 2015 secondary season) would be 3 percent below the 2014
crop and 2 percent down
from
the average of the past
three
-
years.
•
At subnational level, however,
cereal
production and livelihood of farming households and
communities in remote areas, in particular Chin and Rakhine, which concentrate highly vulnerable
populations with little resilience and low agricultural productivity, did not recover fully as in other areas
affected by the flooding. These populations may face severe food shortages in the coming months
and require relief assistance.
•
Livestock and fisheries were affected by the flooding in localized areas with losses of cattle, buffalo,
sheep, goats, pigs and poultry, and damage to fish and shrimp farms, resulting in reduced animal
protein intake in the most affected areas.
•
The country is a net exporter of rice and the 2015 paddy production, similar to previous years,
will
exceed domestic requirements, but tighter
domestic
supplies in marketing year 2015/16
(October/September)
are expected to
further
underpin
already high rice prices, raising
concerns about
food access by most vulnerable sections of the population.
•
Prices of rice reached record levels in August and September
2015,
reflecting strong
depreciation
of
the
Kyat, increasing rice exports and
concerns about the damage to paddy crop. Domestic rice prices
declined with the harvest
between October and December 2015
but remained at
high levels.
In
February
2016,
rice
prices
averaged 37
percent higher than a
year earlier.
•
For the majority of farming households,
the main impact of the July flooding
was
related to the
increased costs for replanting and
the delayed harvest.
Households depending primarily upon day
labour, and especially non-skilled day labour, re
main among the most vulnerable. They faced a gap in
wages during August and have difficulties in obtaining credit.
•
The July flooding was perceived to have moderate impact on children?s nutritional status and little
impact on infant and young children feeding practices.
•
In view of the
country?s adequate rice availabilities
and
generally
well-functioning
domestic markets,
the Mission recommends that any
eventual
food assistance
needs
to
be
provided
in the form of cash
and/
or vouchers.
•
To cover immediate
agricultural needs following the 2015 flooding, the Mission recommends the
distribution of seeds for the next monsoon planting season;
as well as
water and pest-resistant
storage containers to protect farmer?s seeds, along with drying nets and post-harvest
equipment
in the
most affected areas. In
Rakhine, Sagaing
and Ayeyarwaddy, recording the highest livestock losses,
urgent
restocking
of livestock is required to avoid a
further
fall in animal protein intake; while the
rebuilding of fishing gear and boats
and the
rehabilitation of fish ponds is
also
needed
in the most
affected Rakhine State."
Swithun Goodbody, Guljahan Kurbanova, Cristina Coslet, Aaron Wise, Nuria Branders, Sophie Goudet
Source/publisher:
FAO, WFP
Date of publication:
2016-03-16
Date of entry/update:
2016-03-18
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Food Security in Burma/Myanmar - web searches, specialised groups, reports and statistics, Floods of 2015 - UN and other reports, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. - inter-governmental and other international sources, Chin State, Agriculture in Burma/Myanmar: general and research, WFP (World Food Programme), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
1.22 MB
more
Description:
Executive Summary: "The State of Local Governance: Trends in Chin - UNDP Myanmar 2014
This report presents the findings from the Local Governance Mapping conducted in Chin
State between December 2013 and January 2014.
Sharing a long northern border with India and its western front with Bangladesh, Chin State
is the poorest among Myanmar?s state/regions, and among its most diverse. Chin State has
a unique demographic composition, with six main ethnic groups (Asho, Cho, Khum, Laimi,
Mizo and Zomi) and dozens of sub-groups represented in this majority-Chin, predominantly
Christian area of the country. With an estimated population of 465,000 people, Chin State
is the second smallest (by population size) of all states/regions. Widespread poverty, low
population density, challenging mountainous terrain and an underdeveloped infrastructure
are all severe barriers for development. The ceasefire agreement of 2012 between the
Government of Myanmar (GoM) and the Chin National Front (CNF), a non-state armed
group, has removed what was previously a serious bottleneck for development. Recognising
the immense challenges faced by Chin State, the union government has allocated additional
investment funds to the tune of Ks 2 billion in addition to around Ks 1 billion already allocated
to each of the states/regions for regional development and poverty reduction in 2013-14.1
For the Local Governance Mapping in Chin State, three townships in the north (Thantlang,
Falam and Tonzang) and three townships in the south (Mindat, Matupi and Paletwa) were
selected. 576 respondents from 12 villages across these six townships were asked about their
perceptions and experiences related to local governance using a Citizens? Report Card
(CRC).2
Half (49%) of citizens interviewed were between 18-40 years of age. Reflecting the
geographic dynamics of Chin State, the majority of respondents (67%) lived in rural areas.
The vast majority (91%) of those interviewed were of Chin ethnicity, while 8% of respondents
originated from Rakhine.
Alongside the opinions of the people, multi-stakeholder dialogues at the community
(Community Dialogues (CD)) and township (Government Self Assessments (GSA)) levels,
and primary research on the functioning of local governance in three townships (Thantlang,
Tonzang and Mindat), informed the findings from the Local Governance Mapping exercise,
which are structured along the five core principles of good local governance. These form the
basis of the mapping framework and methodology adopted in Myanmar, viz. effectiveness
and efficiency; transparency and rule of law; accountability; participation; and, equity. In
addition, the mapping exercise has also yielded some significant ?process” results, which are
also highlighted below."
Source/publisher:
UNDP Myanmar
Date of publication:
2014-00-00
Date of entry/update:
2016-02-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Decentralisation (Decentralization) in Burma/Myanmar, Chin State, Governance in Burma/Myanmar
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
1.89 MB
more
Description:
Introduction: "Last
summer,
I
met
a
young
Chin
exile
who
came
back
from
Australia
to
Yangon.
He
said
he
returns
home
once
a
year
to
do
development
in
his
village
in
Tedim
Township
in
northern
Chin
State.
According
to
this
young
man,
although
he
experienced
challenges
in
Malaysia
as
an
exile
before
he
reached
the
safe
third
country,
he
has
now
graduated
in
Australia
and
got
a
good
job.
So
he
wants
to
help
his
native
villagers
for
their
livelihood
security.
Thus,
he
set
up
a
women
group
of
weavers
in
five
villages
nearby
his
village
to
resume
traditional
textile
weaving.
He
initiated
financial
support
to
buy
them
10
wooden
frame
looms
and
all
the
required
materials
for
weaving.
He
added
?We
Chin
people
exiles
today
are
now
escape
from
poverty
and
I
am
planning
to
do
development
program
in
my
region
to
end
the
poverty.”
He
continued,
?Currently,
vision
of
many
exile
Chin
people
today
is
supporting
any
kind
of
development
in
their
native
villages
individually
or
collectively.”
In
this
paper,
I
will
elaborate
Chin
people
today
should
keep
migrating
out
to
escape
from
the
multiple
hardships
in
their
native
land
so
that
not
only
for
their
better
life
but
also
they
are
able
to
support
the
remaining
family
by
remittance
and
do
development
in
their
region
as
well.".....Paper delivered at the International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies: Burma/Myanmar in Transition: Connectivity, Changes and Challenges: University Academic Service Centre (UNISERV), Chiang Mai University, Thailand, 24-26 July 2015.
Kyin Lam Man
Source/publisher:
International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies: Burma/Myanmar in Transition: Connectivity, Changes and Challenges: University Academic Service Centre (UNISERV), Chiang Mai University, Thailand, 24-26 July 2015
Date of publication:
2015-07-26
Date of entry/update:
2015-08-27
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Chin (Zo)- economic, social, cultural, political, Chin State, International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies (ICBMS) 23-26 July, 2015
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
185.95 KB
more
Description:
Abstract: "Chin
State
is
situated
in
the
Western
sector
of
the
Republic
of
the
Union
of
Myanmar,
the
13,
907
square
miles
Chin
State
is
home
to
Chins.
In
Myanmar,
they
predominantly
inhabit
Chin
State,
which
is
located
in
the
Northwest
of
the
country,
the
bordering
Bangladesh
to
the
west
and
India
to
the
north.
The
Chin
State
is
divided
into
two
divisions.
Northern
and
Southern
During
the
British
Colonial
period,
the
Chin
State
was
under.
A
Socio-‐economic
study
of
Falam
Township
was
carried
out
in
2014.
A
structured
questionnaire
was
used
to
collect
information.
A
northern
sample
of
30
households
in
6
villages
was
selected.
A
house
to
house
visit
was
made
by
2
interviewers.
There
are
many
collections
of
the
historical
and
socio-‐cultural
evidences
of
the
villages.
Out
of
these
villages,
the
name
of
the
village,
Parthe,
is
explained
briefly
in
this paper.".....Paper delivered at the International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies: Burma/Myanmar in Transition: Connectivity, Changes and Challenges: University Academic Service Centre (UNISERV), Chiang Mai University, Thailand, 24-26 July 2015.
Khin Saw New
Source/publisher:
International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies: Burma/Myanmar in Transition: Connectivity, Changes and Challenges: University Academic Service Centre (UNISERV), Chiang Mai University, Thailand, 24-26 July 2015
Date of publication:
2015-07-26
Date of entry/update:
2015-08-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Chin (Zo)- economic, social, cultural, political, Chin State, Chin (Zo), International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies (ICBMS) 23-26 July, 2015
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
176.17 KB
more