Residents of Mindat town in Chin State have called for water and electricity supply to be restored as soon as possible after it was disrupted for five months by the Chinland Defense Force-Mindat.
On 15 November, more than 2,000 residents from more than 400 households issued a statement calling for the restoration of water and electricity supply to Mindat during a meeting at the town hall on 5 November, a Mindat resident said.
“For the restoration of water and electricity supply, the community elders and religious leaders have met and negotiated many times with the Mindat people’s defense and administrative officials. They have held weekly and monthly meetings on the issue. It has been months since they said they would act within a month. Even the priests have appealed for it, but nothing has happened. People even wanted to organize a protest. But the authorities didn’t want that. So people gathered at the town hall and called for the restoration of water and electricity,” said a resident of Mindat.
Mindat residents said that people returning from displacement were facing difficulties and that schools and hospital patients had to buy firewood, charcoal and water at high prices, according to their statement.
Residents also expressed concern about the increasing difficulties in buying drinking water during the dry season.
In the past, Mindat residents had proper access to water and electricity. They pointed out that other towns across the country continue to have access to electricity and water despite the ongoing fighting and Mindat would also like to have such access as soon as possible.
Calls to CDF-Mindat and the Mindat people’s administration for comment on the statement made by 2,000 Mindat residents went unanswered.
Sent by KMG.