CHRO

(Paletwa – 12th Jan, 2019)

On 10th January, 2019 four motorcycle taxi drivers were arrested by members of the AA in Kyun Chaung Wah village, approximately 5 miles away from Miza village in Paletwa Township, Chin State. The motorbike riders were arrested at 9 am in the morning.

The motorbike riders were investigated and threatened for 2 hours and had their
mobile phones confiscated before being allowed to leave. Clashes between the AA and the Tatmadaw are common in this area, located in the upper region of the Kaladan River and sources reported hearing regular gunfire on the 9th and 10th January and also the presence of a helicopter gunship circling regularly.

On March 8, 2010 Burma’s military regime State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) announced that elections would be held on November 7. But it was immediately obvious that the ruling military junta would not allow independent observers to monitor the country’s first polls in 20 years. In response, the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) developed a project in order to provide an alternative electoral monitoring mechanism, as well as to document the election situation in Chin State, one of the most isolated and difficult-to-access regions of Burma.

Click here for the full document.

On March 8, 2010 Burma’s military regime State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) announced that elections would be held on November 7. But it was immediately obvious that the ruling military junta would not allow independent observers to monitor the country’s first polls in 20 years. In response, the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) developed a project in order to provide an alternative electoral monitoring mechanism, as well as to document the election situation in Chin State, one of the most isolated and difficult-to-access regions of Burma.

Click here for the full document.

4 August 2015

The Myanmar government has appealed for international aid amid floods which have killed at least 46 people and affected more than 210,000.

Four areas in the country have been declared disaster zones with widespread flooding and landslides caused by heavy monsoon rain.

Many areas are still completely cut off by high waters or damaged roads.

The government has admitted giving a weak response to the disaster, according to state media.

The Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper quoted Information Minister Ye Htut as saying that flood warnings had not reached everyone, and there had been confusion over evacuations.

Myanmar experiences flooding every monsoon season but has been particularly badly hit this year.

‘We are co-operating’

The call for international aid stands in contrast to the stance in 2008 when Cyclone Nargis killed more than 130,000 but the government refused outside help.

The information ministry of Myanmar (also known as Burma) posted its appeal to UN agencies and donor countries for humanitarian assistance on its Facebook page late Monday night.

The statement also appeared in local newspapers on Tuesday.

“We are co-operating and inviting international assistance. We have started contacting possible donor organisations and countries,” Ye Htut told Reuters news agency.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said agencies were scaling up their emergency response.

It said the World Food Programme had started providing food rations to 47,800 people, with the aim of reaching 150,000 people eventually.

The UN children’s agency Unicef has distributed water purification and hygiene kits, and agencies are preparing to request for UN funds for financial support.

State media said the government had so far provided 1.5bn Myanmar kyats (£780,000; $1.2m) in emergency aid.

Ocha said that transportation, electricity and communication were disrupted across the disaster zones.

Access to these areas “remains a major challenge” with debris floating in rivers – a hazard for boats – and landslides that have blocked roads, it said in a statement.

The food supply over the long term will be problematic as well, with widespread flooding of farmland and the loss of grains and livestock, it added.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33769567

By Jaiden Coonan
On Thursday, 6 August 2015

The United Nations World Food Program is preparing to bring in much needed aid to the isolated Chin State, yet transportation is making it difficult, as Kalay myo has become an island.

A Member of the WFP’s Emergency Response Team, Johnny told Mizzima that the impoverished state is set to receive 87,904 metric tons of food aid including 2,724 metric tons of High Energy Biscuits.

Chin State Chief Minister, Hong Ngai, was meant to arrive in Kalay myo on August 5 to hold a meeting with the WFP’s emergency response team and Sagaing Region Chief Minister, Tha Aye, but was unable to attend as he was held up in Hakha.

Kalay myo residents predict that roads into Chin State will not open for over a week. Some people are also discussing new roads being built as most routes have been destroyed by landslides.

An ERT member met with Tha Aye, in Kalay myo on August 5 to discuss plans to move the goods into the isolated town which has been surrounded by the worst floods in what locals claim to be over 100 years.

The goods are to be delivered from Monywa to the small township of Kalaywa then speedboats will deliver goods to Kalay myo.

The WFP’s emergency response to Kalay myo started on 2 August with the delivery of 4 metric tons of high-energy biscuits, teamed with an assessment of urgent food needs of at least another 11 tons of food product, ranging from rice to oils, which is on the way.

Aid concerns for Kalaywa’s refugee population isn’t truly known as the government is still updating it’s needs, the population is out of telephone reach.

“Kalaywa is GSM only so it is very hard to contact the people there so the only means of contact at the moment is military radio contact. Information is very difficult at the moment, people have run out of battery on their GSM phones,” said Johnny.

Tha Aye is set to ask the Sagaing Regional Commander of the Tatmadaw for airlifts to move the 15-tone aid package into the flood stricken area, but this is uncertain as military aircraft are in high demand.

“For the recovery effort we have to make an assessment of the people’s needs, there will be an intervention to assist this, once we know, then we can work on a program more responsive to recovery needs,” said Johnny.

Pierre Peron of OCHA in Yangon said that OCHA will coordinate the modelling assessments of recovery needs as per the government’s request. This being the second phase to help assess the damage to farms, tainted wells, and loss of livestock, in order to help the affected population rebuild their lives and livelihoods.

The recovery needs assessment in Kalay myo will begin next week if not sooner, no date has been set.

Kalay myo’s urban refugees total 12,419 as of 3 August  but this number is beginning to drop as people return to homes and begin to remove the thick mud that has washed into their homes.

20,187 refugees call the surrounding villages of Kalay myo home; unfortunately, the wait will be longer for them with dire consequences on their lives. Farming of pulse, peanuts and sunflowers will be delayed this year as some who have ventured out on the plains have discovered that at least 3 feet of mud is below the water, making farming anytime soon impossible.

Kalay myo consists of 19 wards, nine of which are flooded, with 156 villages around Kalay myo’s east side leaving 32,606 people in need of assistance.

– See more at: http://mizzima.com/news-domestic/food-aid-chin-state-still-question#sthash.0jU2iXo3.dpuf

http://mizzima.com/news-domestic/food-aid-chin-state-still-question

To protect and promote human rights and democratic principles