“Stable and Secure?” An Assessment on the Current Context of Human Rights for Chin People in Myanmar/Burma

Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) | September 27, 2018

(New report details current human rights concerns in Chin State, Myanmar)

(Bangkok, Sept 27th 2018) — On the 13 June 2018 the UNHCR officially confirmed that Chin refugees from Myanmar were no longer in need of international protection on the rationale that while other parts of Myanmar are fluid and unstable, Chin State is now stable and secure from a refugee protection perspective. The decision by UNHCR was delivered with no publicly available evidence defining what constitutes stable and secure conditions, a lack of prior consultations with Chin communities in India or Malaysia and therefore no verifiable guarantee of a safe and dignified return.

“Stable and Secure?” An Assessment on the Current Context of Human Rights for Chin People in Burma/Myanmar is based on an analysis of recent trends related to human rights abuses in Chin State. The report draws on CHRO’s documentation and secondary reports from the last several years, providing a snapshot of Chin State, post the 2015 elections and the signing of the bilateral ceasefire between the Chin National Front (CNF) and the Government.

The 35-page report highlights specific cases documented from March 2016 to Aug 2018, providing developments related to armed conflict in Paletwa between the Arakan Army AA and the Burmese Military (Tatmadaw), prevailing barriers to freedom of religion and belief, poor socio-economic conditions giving rise to rural-communities vulnerability to human trafficking and forced assimilation programmes and, a lack of inclusion in development activities.

“Although there have been positive in-country developments, substantive change has still not materialized in Myanmar for ethnic minority states, this includes Chin State, we are not an isolated case,” said Sang Hnin Lian, Director for Human Rights Education and Freedom of Religion or Belief at CHRO. “UNHCR has been very premature in this decision and we are primarily asking them to reconsider as we don’t believe Chin State is conducive to a safe and dignified return yet.”

For more information, please contact:

Sang Hnin Lian, Director for Human Rights Education and Freedom of Religion or Belief, Chin Human Rights Organization, (+95) 9450687296 (in Myanmar) (Burmese; English); sanghninlian@chro.ca.

Cung Dawt, Refugee Coordinator, CHRO, +91-8800847429 (in India) (Burmese; English) Cungdawt@chro.ca