CHRO

By SALAI THANT ZIN / THE IRRAWADDY| Thursday, August 6, 2015 |

PATHEIN, Irrawaddy Division — Food is in short supply in much of northwestern Burma’s Chin State, where two main cities have been cut off by landslides caused by heavy monsoon rain in recent weeks.

Some supplies have reached the capital, Hakha, and Falam in the northernmost reaches of the state, aid workers said, but the deliveries dropped in by military helicopters are not sufficient for the sheer number of people displaced or trapped by storms.

“Around six choppers have come here,” said Pa Kap, who leads the Rone Taug rescue team in Hakha. “the government is providing rice and other supplies for relief camps, but it isn’t enough. The entire town is trapped and short of food—we need much more.”

The township of roughly 469,000 had been cut off by a July 29 landslide on the Union Highway, which links the remote state with central Burma. The government and independent donors have been sending intermittent relief shipments, but the deliveries are few and far between.

Adding to a general food shortage caused by transport disruptions, some 6,600 people have been moved to emergency shelters because of flooding and related dangers, local aid workers said. Pa Kap estimated that each of the township’s 13 emergency relief camps needed 70 to 100 sacks of rice per day.

“It is impossible to feed the entire town with a single helicopter [full of food],” he said.

Those further north in Falam are experiencing similar shortages as the Kale-Falam road is currently impassable due to landslides and other storm debris. Resident Tin Nan told The Irrawaddy that only small cars are able to make the journey. As trucks are unable to make deliveries, he said, “shops have nothing to sell.”

The shortages are far reaching, as landslides have also blocked all roads linking the town to five nearby villages, leaving thousands of people struggling for basic goods. Communication is scarce in the mountainous zone, though reports have surfaced of entire villages being washed away by flash flooding. According to the local chapter of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), as many as 50 homes were destroyed in Tonzang Township’s Narl Zan village, sending families fleeing for refuge. Similar stories have emerged from Tedim Township, where local media has reported that scores of homes were swept away in Kaking and Laibone villages.

Transport in and out of the state—Burma’s poorest—is now all but impossible by land, while roads linking districts within the state have also become mostly useless after severe damage to several key bridges.

Bam Min Htan, chairman of the Tonzang chapter of the USDP, told The Irrawaddy that car travel was no longer possible because of erosion on the bridge linking his township to Tedim. Relief is coming elsewhere, however, as the state government has already begun clearing off the Hakha-Falam-Kale road with bulldozers to reopen access to the state’s central trading hub.

Ko Paung, joint secretary of the USDP in Chin State, said repairing the road “might need a lot of efforts as the dangers are serious,” but the job should be done within a week. Until then, he said, “we have to eat sparingly.”

Last Friday, Chin State, Arakan State, Magwe Division and Sagaing Division were declared disaster zones by the government after Cyclone Komen made landfall in neighboring Bangladesh, dropping torrential rain on some of Burma’s poorest and already inundated regions.

Figures from the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar on Tuesday said the nationwide flooding had damaged more than 426,000 acres of farmland and destroyed some 56,000 more. A total of 1,387 schools have been temporarily shuttered.

Some 217,000 people were directly affected by the crisis, which is said to be the worst flooding the country has seen in decades. At least 46 flood-related deaths have been reported by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement as of late Tuesday, though the toll is expected to rise.

Area-specific death tolls are not yet available, but aid workers in Chin State said they were aware of one death in Hakha and another in Falam Township’s Tamon village. More than 600 homes have been damaged, mostly by landslides, which remain an enormous risk in the days and weeks to come.

Vice President Nyan Tun reportedly visited the capital on Aug. 2, promising that food and other supplies would be delivered in a timely manner. The following day, several Burmese businessmen and celebrities brought food aid to the town. Among the high-profile donors were Ayayarwady Bank chairman Zaw Zaw; Shwe Thanlwin Media chairman Kyaw Win; Ayeyar Hintha chairman Zaw Win Shein; Aung Myin Thu chairman Hla Myo; Lu Min of the Myanmar Motion Picture Association; actor Wai Lu Kyaw and singer Sai Si Twan Khen.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/ravaged-roads-cut-off-supplies-in-remote-chin-state.html

BY KO AYE CHAN MAUNG, GUEST CONTRIBUTOR – 7 AUGUST 2015
POSTED IN: MYANMAR

Floods raise questions about the nation’s ability to meet the threats of climate change and natural disaster.

Large areas of Myanmar have been devastated in recent weeks, with heavy monsoon rains triggering flash floods and landslides that have destroyed thousands of homes, roads, bridges and farmlands.

Twelve states and regions of the country’s 14 are severely affected, leaving at least 69 causalities and thousands of people stranded in the flooded areas.

Four states and regions have been declared disaster zones and the Myanmar government estimates that more than 200,000 people are in need of lifesaving assistance, making it the largest natural disaster since Cyclone Nargis in 2008, which killed more than 100,000 people and affected as many as 2.4 million.

The Myanmar government is responding to the event with some outside assistance, but it lacks the capacity to deal with a catastrophe of this scale, as many of the worst affected communities are still cut off by the flooding and landslides.

Once the immediate impacts are accounted for, the people of Myanmar will once again face the daunting task of rebuilding, with the livelihoods of thousands of families from some of the poorest regions in the country likely to be affected by the large-scale destruction.

Deforestation, unstainable land-use practices, damming projects and lack of policy initiatives for disaster risk management have compounded the effects of these latest torrential rains.

With an annual deforestation rate of 1.4 per cent, Myanmar has lost an average of 466,000 hectares of forest annually between 1990 and 2005, meaning 18 per cent of total forest cover has disappeared during that period.

Land-use changes have led to dramatic deforestation in much of Myanmar, causing large-scale soil erosion that has cut ground water carrying capacity and left millions further exposed to landslides and floods. Barren lands are prone to land slides, and flash floods are highly likely with no tree cover to hold water and prevent surface runoffs.

Damming rivers and streams and blocking natural water ways contributed to unlikely floods in some parts of the country. This has worsened because of a lack of well-planned risk management strategies.

These practices, added to the effects of climate change, will continue to leave millions of our countrymen and women vulnerable to the impacts of future natural disasters.

Since Nargis, cyclones are more frequent in Myanmar, with the country experiencing Cyclone Giri in 2010, Cyclone Mahasan last year and Cyclone Komen now passing through and causing torrential rains. It is also evident that monsoon patterns are also changing, with the effect that monsoonal rain now occurs later and ends earlier.

Myanmar is also one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change with its environmental degradation and unsustainable livelihoods practices.  Policy initiatives and actions are urgently required to mitigate future impacts of climate change and to reduce the vulnerability of communities to climate change impacts.

We need to learn from the past to help reduce the risks in the future.

Ko Aye Chan Maung, is a master’s student from Myanmar studying at the Australian National University’s Crawford School of Public Policy, and a member of the ANU Myanmar Students’ Association (ANUMSA).

ANUMSA is raising money for Myanmar’s rescue and rehabilitation efforts. As part of these efforts it is hosting an event at ANU on Monday, 10 August. For more details on how to donate see here. Details of the event are here.  

http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2015/08/07/dealing-with-disaster-in-myanmar/

August 10, 2015 Written by Khonumthung
Published in Khonumthung

Heavy rains in Hakha, the Chin State capital, have triggered landslides and caused many houses to collapse, blocking roads and leading to concerns of possible food shortages

Roads connecting Thanthlang, Falam, Matupi and Ganggaw with Hakha are blocked and food supplies cannot reach Hakha according to Jacob Thang, the Chairman of the Chin Youth Group.

He said: “Most of the Chin people are staying with their relatives due to the unwanted disaster, so many households have 15 to 20 guests and they cannot feed them as their foods stocks were gone within a week. Therefore, many in Hakha will soon face a total food shortage.”

Four out of six blocks in Hakha were damaged by landslides and 613 houses were destroyed by the recent heavy rain. Two other blocks face potentially being damaged by landslides if the rain continues. Eleven relief centres have opened in Hakha and 6,673 people have been moved to safer areas.

Jacob Thang said: “People are worried about their future. The government has only supplied the victims of the severe natural disaster with 100 bags of rice out 500 bags, though Dr. Ba Maung, Minister of Social Welfare reported that the military had provided 500 bags of rice to the people.”

Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI

http://www.bnionline.net/news/chin-state/item/671-hakha-faces-possible-food-shortages.html

August 10, 2015 Written by Khonumthung
Published in Khonumthung

Various organizations and political parties in Mizoram State, India, which borders Chin State, have appealed for aid and prayers for ethnic communities in Chin State affected by floods and heavy rains in Myanmar as well as in Manipur.

Pu Paul Sita, Secretary (1) of  the Chin National Front (CNF) said: “We are talking with representatives of the Mizoram government, various organizations and political parties [about] how to get aid to Chin State and the Kalay-Kabaw areas for victims of flooding in Myanmar.”

Both the Mizo National Front and the Mizoram People’s Conference have issued appeals to residents of the state to pray for and contribute to aid meant for ethnic Mizo or Chin people in Myanmar who have been affected by the heavy rains and other disasters.

The Chief Minister of Mizoram, Lal Thanhawla, has meanwhile sent a letter expressing condolences and moral support to Hung Ngai, Chief Minister of Chin State, offering “solidarity to all affected citizens of Myanmar, who are our kith and kin”.

Lal Thanhawla had earlier appealed to PM Narendra Modi asking for aid to be sent to Myanmar and volunteered Mizoram as a base for air-dropping operations.

Various groups and political parties also met at the Zo Reunification Organisation’s offices on 3 August to discuss how best to collect and send aid to the flood-affected regions, saying ethnic Mizo or Chin communities have been severely affected by flooding in towns across Chin State and Sagaing Divisions such as Tahan, Falam, Kawlphai, Kalemiau and Halkha.

Other groups such as the central committee of the Young Mizo Association (YMA) have also called meetings to help take part in the aid effort as pictures and videos on social media and news reports from across the international border continue to inform Mizoram residents about the natural disaster.

Edited in English for BNI by Mark Inkey

http://www.bnionline.net/news/chin-state/item/670-mizoram-plans-aid-for-myanmar-flood-victims.html

Monday, 10 August 2015 10:50 Written by  Thawng Zel Thang ([email protected])
Published in Chin News

10 August 2015 — People in at least five villages in Tedim township, Chin State have deserted their places, severely affected by landslides.

All Kahngen villagers, 127 people of 40 households, arrived in Tedim on foot last Friday after having abandoned their houses.

Paupi, from Tedim, said that they were taking shelter in a Baptist church building.

“We received news that all residents in Vongmual and Tuisau villages are also arriving here soon as their places are no longer safe,” said Paupi, a Tedim community leader.

He said that Laibung villagers were moving to Akluai village and that Tuivial residents would find a new place nearby to resettle.

Five villagers from Kahngen, about 18 miles away from Tedim, are being taken to the Tedim hospital as they suffer from diarrhoea.

Paupi told the Chinland Guardian that they had not received any humanitarian assistance from outside the town, adding: “As we are running out of food supplies, we are in urgent need of support.”

In Hakha township, residents in at least two villages, Khuabe and Beutu, had abandoned their places since the beginning of this month.

http://www.chinlandguardian.com/index.php/chin-news/item/2380-residents-abandon-villages-in-tedim-tsp-after-landslides

Monday, 10 August 2015 10:10 Written by  Chinland Guardian
Published in Interviews

Food shortages feared in Tonzang Township: Interview with Mungte

10 August 2015: Tonzang is one of the nine townships in Chin State seriously affected by landslides and flash floods caused by recent heavy rains. However, the humanitarian situation in the State’s western part still remains under-reported because of limited communication facilities and road destruction.

Mungte, a Tonzang resident and leading community member who has been actively involved in helping the victims, talked with the Chinland Guardian about updates on the ground.

Chinland Guardian: We have not heard much about the situation in Tonzang township. Tell us more about it.
Mungte: Tonzang is affected by flash floods which swept away many bridges, including the major one over Manipur river. Therefore, Tonzang will be isolated until temporary bridges are constructed. The estimated time to restore transportation to Tonzang is one month. People started buying basic commodities soon after they had heard about the destruction of bridges. So, rice and fuel have been out of stock. Consequently, low income families are most affected as they cannot afford to purchase in large quantities.

The main water pipe to the town was also destroyed by landslides and rain water has become the primary water source.

Old Nakzang village was badly hit. It lost 24 out of 29 houses in the village to flash floods. All paddy fields were destroyed and covered by sand and rock. It will not be possible for the villagers to use their paddy fields again. The majority of the village, including children, has moved to Lungtak village for shelter and food. They will need to find another location to build a new village. About 120 people are in urgent need of drinking water, shelter and food. Local donors are reaching them but only when the stream can be traversed.

New Nakzang village lost five houses and paddy fields to flash floods. Children will not be able to go to school until a new bridge is constructed as the school is situated on the other side of Manipur river. They are also in urgent need of drinking water.

Khamzang village and Takzang village will have to be relocated because of the landslides. The villagers are currently staying at the nearby villages of Lungtak, Phaitu and Salzang for shelter and food.

Chinland Guardian: We are aware that it is not easy to get accurate data and information because of communication problems. But can you update us on the amount of damage and the number of people affected as far as you can?
Mungte: At least 100 households are affected and nearly 500 people are displaced in four villages. According to the Tonzang Township General Administration Department, flash floods affected 28 houses, 90 households and 594 people, and destroyed 20 bridges, 16 roads (accessible by car and bike) and 1,003.30 acres of paddy fields; and landslides damaged 62 houses.

Chinland Guardian: How are the victims taken care of? What about women and children? And do they receive any assistance?
Mungte: Affected people are generally given temporary shelter at school and church buildings. No other site arranged for rescue camps has been found.

Food items and drinking water have been supplied to affected villages by various local donors through individual contribution. However, the minimum requirements are not met.

Children are still going to schools in nearby villages where they are given shelter.

Chinland Guardian: Have you received any humanitarian assistance from the authorities or any organizations?
Mungte: Ar Yone Oo, a non-governmental social development organization, provided rice, oil and chickpeas for affected villages. It is so far the most active organization that has taken immediate action toward helping the victims.

Donated rice from Ar Yone Oo and religious organizations are distributed in town under the management of the General Administration Department.

People will run out of food and drinking water in a few days if the main roads and bridges are not reconstructed soon.

Chinland Guardian: So, people are running out of basic needs?
Mungte: Yes, rice cannot be purchased in town and it is heard that donors are trying to send rice bags to Tonzang. However, it still depends on the road situation – in order to get humanitarian aid to Tonzang.

Chinland Guardian: What are the urgent needs of the people?
Mungte: 1. Rice 2. Food items 3. Aqua tab, water purification substances and sanitation aids 4. Latrine 5. First Aid kits and essential medical supplies, and 6. Shelter support

Chinland Guardian: What would you suggest I do if I want to make donations or help victims in Tonzang?
Mungte: The first priority is food items, water and sanitation supports. You should contact local civil society organizations and Ar Yone Oo. The second is construction materials for affected villages.

For giving any help or support, please contact the following:

Sister Thawn Niang, Roman Catholic Church in Tonzang on 0947173021, 0973203137
Khup Bawi, Ar Yone Oo, on 0949581841
Tonzang Township General Administration Department on 0947172040
Chinland Guardian: Share with us the overall situation.
Mungte: Overall, we might say that Tonzang is less damaged than any other townships in Chin State. But communication and transportation are significantly more difficult. Limited communication channels have left the township mute until now. Cell phones used are MPT 450 MHz, through which there can be no internet access. There are no public internet shops. And as yet, there is no media run by local groups or associations.

Soon after the heavy monsoon rain, known as cyclone ‘Komen’, had hit Chin State, landslides and flash floods swept away major transportation routes including bridges, hence blocking the roads to Tonzang. There will be shortages of food and drinking water in a few days if there is no humanitarian aid or support from inside and outside Myanmar. We need you and Tonzang needs your support.

http://www.chinlandguardian.com/index.php/component/k2/item/2379-food-shortages-feared-in-tonzang-township-interview-with-mungte

By ALEC SCOTT, FLORA BAWI MAWI & LIAN BAWI THANG| Tuesday, August 11, 2015 |

RANGOON — Remote Paletwa Township in southwestern Chin State has been one of the hardest hit and most underreported jurisdictions of Burma’s four states and divisions declared disaster zones on July 31, with supply shortages and mass displacement going largely unaddressed in the government’s response to the flooding crisis of recent weeks.

Since late July, the township’s main supply routes have been severed by extreme flooding along the Kaladan River, preventing most waterborne traffic between Kyauktaw in Arakan State and Paletwa town, the township’s main distribution center. The road at the town of Ann in eastern Arakan State, a major trade gateway between Sittwe, Kyauktaw and the rest of eastern Burma, has been blocked by landslides, further isolating Paletwa, which is heavily reliant on trade passing through Kyauktaw. The cumulative impact of these severed linkages has been to render Paletwa Township one of the most inaccessible areas affected by the flooding, which has killed at least 99 people nationwide since mid-July.

In Paletwa Township, the Khumi Media Group reported last week that a total of 880 households from 22 villages had been affected during the floods, including five schools and three bridges. According to the Paletwa Township Flood Victim Committee, information arriving from 15 more villages in the township as of Saturday had brought the number of households affected by the floods to 973—roughly 5,000 people—while two more schools, two religious buildings and two additional bridges are reported to have been damaged. These figures, accounting for just 37 out of 385 villages in the township, are likely to rise as more information from the hard-hit jurisdiction filters out.

In Paletwa town, a total of 247 households, comprising a quarter of all households, have been inundated by the Kaladan River’s swollen waters, which have reportedly reached several meters above normal levels, while landslides are reported to have damaged or destroyed 14 homes.

According to a Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) field worker based in Paletwa, although there has been no rain in the town since early last week, monsoon season storms farther north have meant floodwaters continue to rise in the township. The Kaladan River enters Chin State from the state of Mizoram in northeast India. Its watershed area has borne a heavy load from Cyclone Komen, which brought torrential rains to the region late last month, including major tributaries in Thantlang and Falam townships. Much of this water will flow through Paletwa as the deluge slowly drains into the Bay of Bengal.

Although Paletwa has been recognized as being among the worst hit townships in the country, neither the Burmese government nor international aid groups have prioritized the township in their disaster response. While destruction wrought by landslides in the Chin State capital Hakha has drawn much attention, responses to the situation Paletwa have been relatively muted. The scale of the damage and the struggles of many of Paletwa’s residents, totaling 97,593 people according to last year’s census, remain largely unknown and unseen.

The plight of 356 ethnic Khumi Chin villagers displaced by armed conflict in late March is also unknown. The villagers, half of whom are children, had sought temporary shelter in Laung Tin village after armed clashes between the government and Arakan Army troops forced them from their village at Pyin So.

Local Relief Effort

In response to the unfolding humanitarian crisis, three locally initiated committees have been established to raise awareness among aid organizations that may support the coordination of relief in Paletwa. However, as only a trickle of relief aid from INGOs and UN agencies has thus far reached Paletwa, the committees have themselves taken up the role of humanitarian relief workers.

“People in Paletwa Township need urgent humanitarian assistance. Therefore, the Chin State government should allow INGOs and UN agencies to freely operate humanitarian assistance in Paletwa Township without any negotiation needed with the government,” urged the chief communications officer from the Paletwa Township Flood Victim Committee, who asked that his name be withheld.

On Tuesday, he confirmed that 1,400 sacks of rice arrived in Kyauktaw the day prior, delivered by a coalition relief team from the UN World Food Program and local NGO Myanmar Enhancement to Empower Tribals (MEET). A portion of that aid reached Paletwa on Tuesday morning.

In Paletwa town, more than 1,000 residents are taking refuge at local schoolhouses, churches and monasteries. For the moment the displaced residents of Paletwa are surviving on daily donations from the local community. Residents displaced from communities outside of the town had not yet made it to the township’s capital as of Tuesday.

‘Business as Usual Will Not Do’

“How will the government respond?” asked Dr. Sui Khar, a joint secretary general of the ethnic armed group Chin National Font (CNF), during an emergency press conference held in Rangoon on Wednesday.

“Business as usual will not do,” he added, referring to successive Burmese governments’ neglect of western Chin State.

The message was clear: The government would be judged on the superficiality or substance of its response to the ongoing disaster.

On July 29, the General Administration Department in Paletwa town instituted a four-day ban on boat drivers and traders operating on the Kaladan River, citing safety concerns. Since the prohibition was lifted, larger trading vessels known as “line boats” and smaller motorized canoes have been able to access Kyauktaw, where prices for basic goods are reported to have markedly increased, with rice brokers trading one sack for 30,000 kyats (US$24) 35,000 kyats, while the cost of eggs has doubled.

Paletwa is the poorest township in Burma’s most impoverished state. Approximately 80 percent of the population lives in rural areas, with the vast majority relying on smallholder farms for their livelihoods. Villagers whose farmlands and riverside gardens have been inundated or washed away by the floodwaters now face both short- and long-term crises due to loss of valuable crops, degradation of farmland and the struggle to mobilize resources supporting a sustainable recovery.

Paletwa is also the most isolated township in the state—so isolated that until April this year, it was not connected by road to Chin State’s neighboring townships of Matupi and Kanpetlet, with all major traffic running through Arakan State. Thousands of people in Paletwa are believed to be running out of basic supplies such as food, clothing and potable water, and have either limited or no access to shelter and proper sanitation.

Lack of Transparency Amid Muddy Waters

On Saturday morning, the chief commander of the Western Regional Command, Hla Myint, and the Arakan State Chief Minister Maung Maung Ohn arrived by helicopter in Paletwa town. During their 30-minute stay, they are each reported to have donated 7.5 million kyats (US$6,800) worth of food to the General Administration Department.

A CHRO field worker in Paletwa who requested anonymity alluded to the concerns felt in affected communities regarding a lack of government transparency. “The government hasn’t provided any information about what is happening. … We do not know how the government will handle those displaced households whose houses have been washed out with the Kaladan River.”

It is not only houses and crops that have been washed away: A resident in Paletwa interviewed by phone reported that at least two people are known to have drowned in separate incidents near the villages of Oah Ta Lin Wa and Nga Dat.

“Any information regarding what has happened and where, and what kind of arrangements for displaced peoples will be made, what kind of assistance will be provided and how . . . by the township administrative department is not heard. We only heard that they are collecting information,” explained a nun who wished to remain anonymous. “We are afraid to go out from Paletwa and it’s the same for people from other villages to come here because of the torrential Kaladan River.”

At the packed press conference in Rangoon last week, the CNF’s Sui Khar spoke to the heart of the issue: “If I was asked what the main challenge was for the peace process, I would say the lack of trust between the government and armed groups. Therefore, we can start building trust with the government through addressing the disaster together.”

The authors are members of the Rangoon-based Chin Human Rights Organization.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/contributor/in-remote-paletwa-flooded-communities-face-unseen-struggle-to-survive.html

By SALAI THANT ZIN / THE IRRAWADDY| Thursday, August 27, 2015 |

RANGOON — The Chin State government has requested a grant of more than 20 billion kyats (US$15.5 million) from the Union government for rehabilitation projects in the flood-battered northwestern state.

The remote and mountainous region, home to about 478,000 people, suffered severe economic losses due to recent floods and landslides that destroyed some 2,000 of the state’s buildings and damaged many of its roads, further complicating recovery.

“We’ve submitted a proposal to the Union government for more than 20 billion kyats required for rehabilitation,” Chin State Forestry Minister Kyaw Nyein told The Irrawaddy. “We hope the government will grant it as the President [Thein Sein] has said that rehabilitation is imperative in these [severely damaged] places.”

Structures including houses, schools, religious buildings, bridges and government offices were affected by the extreme weather leading up to and throughout the landing of Cyclone Komen in Bangladesh on July 30.

The hardest hit areas were the state capital Hakha, Matupi, Mindat, Paletwa, Tedim and Tonzang, according to the state government. More than 950 buildings were destroyed in Paletwa alone, and more than 800 in Hakha.

The minister said the proposed funding would cover rebuilding of education and health facilities, departmental offices, transport routes and homes. The state has already prepared about 4,000 tons of wood for reconstruction projects, he added.

Transportation of relief materials has been difficult in the wake of the disaster, he said, as the states entire road network suffered serious damage. The state government has already carried out minor repairs on the Kale-Falam-Hakha highway, which links the state capital to central Burma, and the  Hakha-Thantlang road. Both are now open for small vehicles. The Hakha-Matupi and Hakha-Gangaw roads are still out of service, the minister said.

Due to the difficulty of reaching certain areas, the state government is now delivering food aid, makeshift tents and other relief items to Matupi via Mindat and to Paletwa by way of Kyauktaw in neighboring Arakan State.

Recovery efforts are currently focused on delivering food and other essential items, according to the minister, while rebuilding efforts are expected to begin in mid-October at the end of the monsoon season.

At present, the state has registered 375 collapsed or damaged houses in Hakha and another 318 found unfit for habitation. Those households, located in three wards deemed to be in danger of future catastrophe, are to be relocated to another part of the town, according to Hakha Township administrator Thein Zaw.

The relocation site, near the entrance to the capital, was originally slated for a police training academy, will be evaluated and built up for residential purposes as soon as possible, he said.

“It’s not that the entire town needs to be moved,” said Thein Zaw, referring to earlier rumors that the capital could be relocated to another township. “As the Hakha-Gangaw road is still out of commission it is difficult to bring in building materials. We’ll work to build those homes as soon as possible.”

More than 5,000 residents of the capital remain homeless and sheltering at Khaing Hall, No. 1 Basic Education High School, local churches and seven emergency camps throughout the town, locals said, where they are provided with food and tents by the state government.

A grassroots relief movement has also grown out of the ethnic Chin diaspora throughout the region. For in northern Thailand, a fundraiser will be held on Friday, Aug. 28 in Chiang Mai, with proceeds channeled directly to the Chin Committee on Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/chin-govt-requests-15-5m-flood-rehabilitation-grant.html

Thursday, 27 August 2015 01:20 Written by  Thawng Zel Thang ([email protected])
Published in Chin News

24 August 2015 — Hakha residents of Khuahlun ward, completely destroyed by landslides, sighed with relief when President Thein Sein gave the green light to their request.
Van Thawng, State Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Breeding, said during a press conference yesterday that the request by the victims for a new location to resettle had been granted.

“Chief Minister Hung Ngai told the President about the issue when they met in Kalay, Sagaing Region. The President said that what the public had wanted had to be given,” said the Chin minister.

Earlier this month, the Chief Minister had refused their request, saying that the location chosen had been kept aside for construction of new police buildings.

Salai Bawi Lian Mang, Executive Director of the Chin Human Rights Organization, who is visiting Hakha, said: “This is a clear indication of the centralized governing system being practiced in the country. Like other ethnic nationalities, we would like to have a State government that practices a democratic and federal system.”

President Thein Sein cancelled his plan to visit devastated Hakha, the capital, owing to bad weather after having stayed in Kalay, Sagaing Region for over two days.

http://www.chinlandguardian.com/index.php/chin-news/item/2391-president-ok-s-disputed-land-request-for-resettlement-in-hakha

By FELIZ SOLOMON / THE IRRAWADDY| Thursday, August 27, 2015 |

RANGOON — For those of you in Chiang Mai, you’re well advised to spend your Friday night partying for a good cause at a fundraiser for flood relief efforts in Burma’s remote Chin State.

Featuring live music, theatrical performances, Burmese delicacies and loads of handmade goods for purchase, the event has no cover charge but organizers hope you’ll come prepared to chip in. All proceeds go directly to the Chin Committee on Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation (CCERR).

The party starts at 6pm on Friday at Sangdee Gallery, kicking off with Southeast Asia sound aficionado DJ Isherferbrains spinning soul, funk and Thai traditional Luk Thung music on 45rpm vinyl. Performances throughout the evening will include an acoustic set of traditional music from northern Burma’s Kachin State.

If you missed Erin Kamler’s musical “Land of Smiles” during its Chiang Mai debut in 2013, here’s your chance. On Friday, Kamler will perform several tracks from her acclaimed critique of anti-human trafficking efforts.

Raffle tickets will be on sale for, among other things, limited edition photographic prints by Brennan O’Connor, must-read books on Burma and unique handmade textiles donated by the Kachin Women’s Association of Thailand. Additional items will also be available for purchase.

Event organizer Sam Cartmell promises “a fun night with delicious food and entertaining musical performances,” all for a great cause.

Chin State, in northwestern Burma, was among the hardest hit by flooding related to Cyclone Komen in late July and early August. Regarded as Burma’s poorest state, many of its nearly half a million people were affected, having lost homes, crops and what few roads connected them to trade.

The mountainous region has been particularly hard to access for relief workers; the threat of landslides remains even as ravaged roads and bridges are slowly being repaired by the state government. Lack of access has led to acute food shortages in some of the more remote areas.

Proceeds from Friday’s event will be channeled through the Chin Human Rights Organization directly to the CCERR, which provides immediate humanitarian relief such as food and shelter for thousands of people affected by the crisis.

The CCERR is also involved in a statewide planning effort for long-term reconstruction, and has helped to draft a new multi-level disaster response framework to avoid future dangers for marginalized, at-risk communities.

Sangdee Gallery and Café is located at 5 Sirimankhalajarn Soi 5, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Friday’s event will run from 6 to 10pm. For those who can’t make it but would like to donate directly, please visit http://chro.ca/.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/in-chiang-mai-party-with-a-purpose-at-flood-relief-event.html