Zogam Aw Na Mite'n Hong Taisan Maw!

Zomi Refugees in Delhi

7th March 2007: Due to the political and economic condition of Myanmar hundreds of Chins (Zomi) have been displaced and are seeking refuge in countries like India, Malaysia, US, UK, Australia, Thailand and few other countries willing to take rehabilitate them.

The fortunate ones get rehabilitated in developed countries like US, UK, Australia, Canada, etc while the unfortunate ones are waiting for their chance to go to these countries by seeking refugee status in countries like India, Malaysia etc. While country like India should have been more sympathetic and understanding of the situations of such refugees it is not always the case.

Hundreds are stranded in India waiting for that golden opportunity to fly across the ocean to the land of "milk and honey" as US of A is known amongst them. They lived in tiny rooms infested with rats and mosquitoes and harassed by their landlords. They have no proper guidance or someone to give them advice.

Worst of all is the total lack of interest or empathy by other Zomis who also live in Delhi and are relatively well connected and well off financially.Strangely enough no Zomi from other countries like US and UK who are more fortunate, have no time for their brothers and sisters in India struggling to make ends meet in a strange and sometimes hostile environment.

Ode to Zogam
Lonely and alone you wail and wail!
Alas! All in vain!

Why have you forsaken me?
Where have you all gone?

Alas! You just have to let us be
Let me tell you I am not alone
In saying "Zogam you have been forsaken by your own!"

Military authorities to rework Jatropha project in Chin State

24 February 2007 (Khonumthung News): With Jatropha projects failing over the last three years, the military authorities in Myanmar are adopting new methods to replace scientifically nursed Jatropha plants with ones that grow naturally in Chin state.

A move to replace scientifically nursed Jatropha with the home grown variety came into effect following a survey in Hakha, Falam, ThanTlang and Tidim Townships in the first week of January by the agriculture department. The survey supervised by the northwestern commander revealed that scientific bio-diesel plants were not suitable in the soil and climate condition in Chin state.

Locals in Than Tlang and Hakha townships had already slashed the trees on the hillside where home grown Jatropha seeds are to be sowed next monsoon. But there will be a charge for these seeds provided to civilians, said a source in Hakha town.

“We don’t know what kind of natural seed will be distributed by the government. We have to follow what they say as we are afraid of flouting the order,” a source in Hakha said.

Meanwhile, U Lai Too, Chairman of the Township Development and Peace Council (TDPC) in Than Tlang Township has started collecting money (Kyat 4,000 per household) from the people in Than Tlang area for substituting Jatropha plants. The same is likely to be followed in Falam and Hakha Township soon.

Some villagers from Than Tlang Township had already given money to village heads in their respective villages. The money collected has been sent to the TPDC office in Than Tlang town in the last week of this month.

The people are wondering when and where they will receive the seeds and the kind of seed it will be. Some are still doubting whether they will receive the seed they received previously, according to source in Than Tlang.

Jatropha trees are usually grown in tropical regions and it can be harvested after two years. Three kilograms of seeds can produce one kilogram of crude oil and 1.05 kilograms of crude oil can in turn produce one kilogram of diesel.

Recently, the authorities in Chin state issued instructions not to cultivate Jatropha in public places for it could harm humans and animals as well as it destroy soil fertilizer.

Zogam Aw Na Mite'n Hong Taisan Maw!

Oppression in Chin state force people to abandon homeland

21 February 2007 (Khonumthung News): About 50,000 Chin people have abandoned their homeland and taken refuge in foreign countries in the past year to escape unabated oppression by a brutal military regime in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.
The army is still forcing people from Chin state to work on road and army camp construction, carrying army rations without paying them and confiscating land in Chin state. As a result, people started to flee their homeland, said a source from the government department in Chin state.
Besides, the economic crisis a result of mismanagement by the military rulers have made people struggle for their livelihood. This has also contributed to their leaving Chin state.
A survey in 2006 showed the population of Chin state to be around 538,000. But the figure in Chin state has come down to 479,000, according to records in January 2007.
A government employees from Hakha Township, capital of Chin state said that the percentage of people who have died is marginal in the record. The figures show that most have migrated to foreign countries and other states in Burma.
“There are no other options for a career except farming in Chin state. Now, forced labour and recruitment of child soldiers is the main occupation of Chin people. In a condition like this nobody wants to stay in Chin state,” he added.
Sources from Chin state stressed that educated persons are not able to get a good job while relatives of military personnel get privileges and well paid jobs.
“There is no development at all in Chin state,” he added.
Chin people, on a daily basis, are facing not only forced labour but also extortion and have to pay high taxes for house construction and agricultural production.
Chin people who left their homeland due to oppression by the junta are taking shelter in neighboring countries such as India, Thailand, Malaysia and have been resettled to third countries like USA, Canada, Australia, Sweden, and Denmark among others under UNHCR’s resettlement programme.
After the military regime grabbed power in 1988, the junta began a crack down on Chin pro-democracy activists and expanded military presence in Chin state resulting in forced labour and human rights abuses.