More than 200 Chin civilians, including 24 children, have been killed in various ways and more than 1,000 people have been arrested on various charges over the two and a half years since the 2021 coup, according to a report released 10 October by the Institute of Chin Affairs.
At least 217 Chin civilians, including 38 women and 179 men, have been killed by arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings, shootings, landmine explosions and airstrikes by the military junta in Chin state since the coup until 1 October this year, said Salai Van Sui San, deputy director of the ICA.
“This shows what is happening in Myanmar through various sources. When it comes to what pressure the international community can put on the junta or what more effective actions need to be taken, we can only report the situation to them. So, rather than wathcing on the situation, international organizations need to start thinking about effective measures that can be taken,” said Salai Van Sui San.
Among those killed are four underage girls and 20 boys, he added.
According to the ICA report, the military junta used 134 civilians as navigators, hostages and human shields during military operations in Chin State.
Six Chin women were not only gang-raped but also killed by junta soldiers, according to the report.
In addition, more than 1,000 Chin were arrested and charged with various criminal offenses in the nearly three years following the coup. To date, more than 500 Chin remain in jail, although some have been released and two have died in custody, the ICA report said.
“Of the more than 1,000, many have been released. Many of them were released after signing certain pledges. It is still difficult to report on all the verdicts they’ve made. Recently, there have been many such arbitrary arrests. But it is hard to talk about the situation they are in,” said ICA Deputy Director Salai Van Sui San.
There are nearly 100,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Chin State, and the number of internally displaced persons in Chin has increased in 2023, he added.
According to reports, more than 60,000 of them have sought refuge in the Indian State of Mizoram, and more than 10,000 in New Delhi and other states, totaling 80,000-100,000 refugees.
According to the report, the Myanmar military has burned down more than 2,100 homes and buildings in Chin State and carried out airstrikes at least 63 times
Sent by KMG.