Oppression in Chin state force people to abandon homeland

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.