Burma Army Brings Terror on Villagers in Chin State, March 2022

1 June 2022

Chin State, Burma

The Burma Army has been terrorizing the Kale Township area for months, including torturing villagers and burning their houses down. Civilians are being killed and injured and homes burned. Since December 2021, over 10,000 villagers from Kale Township area have fled to a safe place. The Burma Army has prohibited FBR from providing aid to these people and so the relief program is run in secret. The Burma Army is constantly sending more troops by plane to the Kale Myo Airport and this has lead to an increase in clashes between the Burma Army and the PDF.

This spring, at the Indo-Myanmar border, there has been an increase in crossings made by Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). This is due to the Burma Army’s convoys of troops that have been attacking the People’s Defense Force (PDF) camp, which is close to the border. In addition, the Burma Army has built a new camp that has forced families from the Rihkawdar Block 2, Falam Township, in the vicinity of the new camp, to also flee into India.

The Burma Army is sending more troop convoys from Kalay Myo. The Military Operation Command (MOC) 22 Light Infantry Batallion (LIB) 204 and the LIB 89 Kalay Myo troops are operating in Zanniat area and are destroying villagers’ property. On the India side of the border, in Zokhawthar Mizoram, there are now over 3,000 IDPs where, usually, there are only around 1,000. Free Burma Rangers (FBR) has been distributing supplies to these IDP shelters.

Below are pictures and details of Burma Army activity and the IDP situation from the last several months.

On February 24th, villagers from Chaungkhuah Village in the Kalay Township, Sagaing Division, found the burned bodies of Mrs. Nu Len (40 years old) and her two daughters (16 and 14 years old). They were killed and burned by the Burma Army. Mrs. Nu Len leaves behind a husband and two sons.

On March 5th around 6:00 a.m., on the Indo-Myanmar border, the PDF began fighting the new camp built by the Burma Army.

On the morning of March 5th , Pastor Aung Shwe (48 years old) stepped on a landmine on the way to his farm. His left leg was badly injured but he made it to the hospital where he received medical help. Shwe is from Ramthlo Village in the Falam Township, Chin State.

A man from Kanpetlet in the southern Chin State was killed by the Burma Army’s renewed offensive on March 16th. Shortly after, the Chinland Defense Force confirmed that they lost their headquarter base camp.

On the morning of March 26th, on the Chin side of the Indo-Myanmar Border Trade Center, there was a clash between the Burma Army and the Chin National Defense Force (CNDF). There was one injury and three arrests made by the Burma Army.

Thanks and God bless you,

Free Burma Rangers