Chin theater explained

Conflict:Chin Theater
Partof:Myanmar civil war (2021–present) and the Internal conflict in Myanmar
Date:April 2021 – present
Place:Chin State, Myanmar
Territory:
Status:Ongoing
Combatant1: Tatmadaw
Combatant2:
Strength1:6+ infantry battalions in the State [2] and other deployed troops
Strength2:10,000 (CDF and CNF only)
Casualties1:900+ killed and several wounded as of July 2022[3]
Casualties2:53 killed and several wounded as of July 2022

The Chin Theater is one of the theaters of the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), with resistance forces fighting against the Tatmadaw military junta in Chin State, western Myanmar.

Background

Chin State is the least-developed region of Myanmar. It is located in the far west, on the border with India.

Paletwa, located in Southern Chin State, Myanmar, has met conflict earlier than other towns in the State. Since 2019, the AA has been engaging in multiple armed clashes with the Myanmar army,[4] as part of Conflict in Rakhine State (2016-present). The Myanmar army imposed an internet shutdown in Paletwa since then.[5]

Prelude

After the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, people from Chin State were particularly active in anti-coup protests. Days after the beginning of the 2021 Kalay clashes on 28 March 2021, resistance groups in Chin State formed the Chinland Defense Forces on 4 April 2021 to defend civilians from the Tatmadaw's violent crackdowns against protestors. Similarly, the Chin National Organization (CNO), along with its armed wing, the Chin National Defense Force (CNDF), was established on 13 April 2021.[6]

Timeline

2021

On 26 April 2021, the Battle of Mindat became the first large-scale conflict arising from the 2021 coup. As a response, the junta cut off food and water supplies and declared martial law.[7] More than 10,000 people have left Mindat in southern Chin State as the Myanmar military started an all-out operation to quell an armed revolt headed by local citizens. [8] Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor reported that the Myanmar military used cluster munitions bombs in Mindat.[9]

In late May 2021, the Chin-State based Chin National Front became the first ethnic armed organization to formally ally with the National Unity Government of Myanmar in the fight against the junta.

On 19 September 2021, clashes broke out in Thantlang when Chin National Army (CNA) and CDF-Thantlang launched an attack on a junta base reportedly killing around 30 soldiers. In response, junta forces killed a Christian leader who tried to put off a fire. A month later they returned and burned down two churches and at least 164 homes.[10] [11] The battle also leads to the exodus of thousands of residents as early as September 2021. Over 10,000 Thantlang residents fled the town, seeking refuge in the countryside and the neighboring Indian state of Mizoram.

CDF Paletwa carried out its first attack against junta soldiers in November 2021.

2022

In January 2022, tensions escalated between the military regime troops and the joint local forces (CNA, Chin National Defence Force, CDF Siyin, CDF KKG, PDF Zoland, PDF Kalay, Zomi PDF, Zogam Army) in Taingen village, Tedim, a strategic point on the road of Kalay-Tedim and Kalay-Falam, which also served as an entry point to Chin State from Sagaing. On 12 January, the junta's transportation units advanced to the village from Kalay to deliver military supplies to its troops. The next day, on 13 January, clashes broke out. The regime faced severe setbacks and fired heavy weapons from Kalay University while deploying air support.[12] Consequently, over 1000 residents of Taingen and nearby villages, including Mualpi, Khai Kam, and Theizang, were displaced. The joint defense forces claimed an estimated 75 junta forces were killed. The battle lasted for over 10 days, and the joint forces eventually retreated due to inadequate weaponry.[13] [14]

As of May 2022, active fighting was taking place in eight of the nine townships of Chin State. In September 2022, the Chin National Army claimed that around 70% of the state was under the control of resistance forces.[15]

By November 2022, much of Thantlang had been burned down.

2023

On 10and 12 January 2023, Myanmar Air Force carried out airstrikes with one Yak-130 and two MiG-29[16] targeting Camp Victoria, CNA's headquarters, near the India-Myanmar border. Five CNA soldiers were killed, at least 10 were injured and some buildings were damaged. The air attacks violated Indian airspace and soil, according to the CNF, local Mizoorganizations, and the international research and advocacy organization Fortify Rights.[17] The Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) states that at least 200 Chin refugees crossed the border later the week following the airstrikes by Myanmar Army.[18]

CDF Matupi engaged in attacks near Paletwa Township. On 23 and 24 March 2023, CDF Matupi and CNA attacked junta's convoy on the Matupi-Paletwa road, and claimed 13 soldiers were killed.[19] CDF Paletwa assured that on 15 March 2023, Assam Rifles entered Paletwa township and fired gunshots.[20] However,the Assam Rifles denied, saying its soldiers were engaged in “routine border point verification inside the Indian territory."[21]

On 10 April 2023, Webula town, situated about 20 miles away from Falam town experienced an attack by Myanmar Air Force. The attack followed the seizure of the Var military camp by the CNDF earlier that day.[22] The town was targeted along with Var village and Kyaung Hel village. This assault resulted in the deaths of at least nine civilians, while many others sustained injuries due to the airstrikes. Among the casualties were individuals near a school and a football field where fighter jet shells exploded. The airstrikes caused extensive damage to five civilian houses.[23]

In May 2023, the first clash in Paletwa after the coup broke out between AA and the Myanmar military.

More than 100 battles had occurred in Chin State between July and November 2022, reported the Diplomat.[24] The conflict between AA and the Myanmar military ended in Paletwa after both parties agreed to a temporary cease-fire with Yōhei Sasakawa's intermediary.[25]

The first clash in Tonzang, located in northern Chin State, took place on 1 August 2023. The CDFs (CDF Hualngoram, Tonzang CDF, and PDA), along with the CNA, attacked Tonzang Police Station. The fight continued until 2 August and resulted in the death of one CDF soldier and a civilian man, forcing nearby residents to flee.[26]

On 14 November 2023, the Arakan Army-Tatmadaw ceasefire breached after the AA, along with its alliance, launched the Operation 1027. The Arakan Army attacked military's outposts in Paletwa township and military deployed air strikes and heavy artillery fire, leading to ongoing and intense fighting. [27]

On the same day, the Chin National Army and the local CDFs forces attacked the Myanmar Army's border guard outpost in Rikhawdar, Falam Township, a hub for border trade with India. The junta responded with air assaults using a jet fighter.[28] Aljazeera reported more than 5000 people from Rihkhawdar and nearby villages fled to Mizoram, India.[29] A total of 43 Myanmar soldiers crossed the India-Myanmar border and sought refuge from the Indian police.[30] They were handed to the Myanmar officials by the Indian authorities through Moreh-Tamu border.[31] Two days later, residents who had fled to India returned, marking the town as the first in Chin State under the control of the resistance forces.[32]

On 15 November 2023, eleven civilians, including eight children, were killed in a Myanmar Air Force airstrike in Vuilu village of Matupi town, Southern Chin State. After the attack, the junta cut off mobile phone communications. Residents reported that there was no battle and CDF Matupi claimed that the attack deliberately targeted civilians.[33] [34] [35]

2024

On 12 January 2024, the junta base at Taingen was attacked by the CNA, Civic Defense Militia, and the CDF. The base was being defended by 12 soldiers and 18 police officers. Fighting lasted for five days until 16 January, and involved junta forces shelling and using airstrikes against the attacking EAOs from their position in Kalay. The EAOs however killed majority of the junta forces using drone bombs.[36] According to Salai Lian Bawi, spokesman of the Chin National Front, the joint Chin force had repeatedly phoned the junta forces to surrender, however they refused and all died. Casualties on the Chin's side were a total of eight - one for the CNA, and seven for the CDF. The joint force also suffered the loss of four drones, each worth around 90 million kyat.[37]

See also

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. https://myind.net/Home/viewArticle/chinese-backed-rebels-in-myanmar-declare-new-country-on-indias-eastern-border
  2. Web site: Military Command structure in Chin State . Chin Human Rights Organization . 2023-08-06 . 2022-07-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220708132426/https://www.chinhumanrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/Chin-Human-Rights-Organizaiton-1.mp4?_=1 . dead .
  3. Web site: Over 900 Myanmar junta soldiers killed in battles in Chin and Sagaing over six months . BNI Online. https://web.archive.org/web/20231106134609/https://www.bnionline.net/en/news/over-900-myanmar-junta-soldiers-killed-battles-chin-and-sagaing-over-six-months. 6 November 2023.
  4. News: At Least 20 Troops Killed in Paletwa Clashes, AA Says . The Irrawaddy . 27 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20231106132154/https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/least-20-troops-killed-paletwa-clashes-aa-says.html. 6 November 2023.
  5. News: Myanmar reimposes internet shutdown in conflict-torn Rakhine, Chin states: telco operator . Reuters . 5 February 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20231106133320/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-rakhine/myanmar-reimposes-internet-shutdown-in-conflict-torn-rakhine-chin-states-telco-operator-idUSKBN1ZZ0LC. 6 November 2023.
  6. Web site: Chin people form CNO, CNDF . 2024-03-11 . Burma News International . en. https://web.archive.org/web/20240408202758/https://www.bnionline.net/en/news/chin-people-form-cno-cndf. 8 April 2024.
  7. News: Myanmar: The small embattled town that stood up to the army . 22 May 2021 . BBC. https://web.archive.org/web/20240331014206/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57197081. 31 March 2024.
  8. News: Junta cuts off water and food supplies to rebel town of Mindat . 3 June 2021 . Military Coup Myanmar. https://web.archive.org/web/20230814121946/https://militarycoupmyanmar.com/2021/06/03/junta-cuts-off-water-and-food-supplies-to-rebel-town-of-mindat-2/. 14 August 2023.
  9. Web site: Cluster Munition Production and Use in Myanmar/Burma . Relief Web . Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor. https://web.archive.org/web/20240228223546/https://reliefweb.int/attachments/f37c6ddd-d37a-40d6-8e4a-04d405137e6d/Briefing-paper_CM-in-Myanmar_Final-31-Aug.pdf. 28 February 2024 .
  10. News: New fighting breaks out in Chin State's Thantlang . https://web.archive.org/web/20230620225439/https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/new-fighting-breaks-out-in-chin-states-thantlang/ . 28 September 2021 . 2023-06-20 . Myanmar Now.
  11. Web site: How a Myanmar Township Defied the Odds to Become a Resistance Stronghold . Times. 9 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230217213857/https://time.com/6230340/myanmar-military-resistance-thantlang/ . 2023-02-17 .
  12. Web site: တီးတိန်မြို့နယ်ထဲ ဆယ်ရက်ကျော်ကြာ တိုက်ပွဲဖြစ်ပွား . RFA. https://web.archive.org/web/20231106140100/https://www.rfa.org/burmese/news/tedim-10-days-battle-01232022090030.html. 6 November 2023.
  13. Web site: လူနှင့်လက်နက်အင်အား မမျှမှုကြောင့် ချင်းပြည်သူ့ကာကွယ်ရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့တွေ သိုင်းငင်ရွာကို စွန့်ခွါရဟုဆို . BNI Online. https://web.archive.org/web/20231106135514/https://www.bnionline.net/mm/news-88016. 6 November 2023.
  14. Web site: ကလေး-တီးတိန်လမ်း ဟိန်ဇိန်ကျေးရွာဘက်ကို စစ်ကောင်စီတပ်က လေကြောင်းအပါအဝင် အမြောက်လက်နက်ကြီးတွေနဲ့ အပြင်းအထန် ထိုးစစ်ဆင်နေ . Khonumthung. https://web.archive.org/web/20231206035012/https://khonumthung.org/%E1%80%80%E1%80%9C%E1%80%B1%E1%80%B8-%E1%80%90%E1%80%AE%E1%80%B8%E1%80%90%E1%80%AD%E1%80%94%E1%80%BA%E1%80%9C%E1%80%99%E1%80%BA%E1%80%B8-%E1%80%9F%E1%80%AD%E1%80%94%E1%80%BA%E1%80%87%E1%80%AD%E1%80%94/. 6 December 2023.
  15. Web site: Around 70% of Western Myanmar's Chin State Controlled by Resistance . The Irrawaddy. 8 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20230806105039/https://www.irrawaddy.com/in-person/interview/around-70-of-western-myanmars-chin-state-controlled-by-resistance.html. 6 August 2023 .
  16. News: Five killed in junta airstrike on Chin resistance force headquarters near Myanmar-India border . Myanmar Now . 12 January 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230806110544/https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/five-killed-in-junta-airstrike-on-chin-resistance-force-headquarters-near-myanmar-india-border/. 6 August 2023.
  17. News: Fears of escalation after Myanmar air raids near India border . Al Jazeera. https://web.archive.org/web/20240204060331/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1/25/warning-of-escalation-after-myanmar-air-raids-near-india-border. 4 February 2024.
  18. News: Refugees Flee to India Amid Military Airstrikes in Myanmar . VOA News . 18 January 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231003055437/https://www.voanews.com/a/refugees-flee-to-india-amid-military-airstrikes-in-myanmar/6924644.html. 3 October 2023 .
  19. Web site: Zan . Hein Htoo . 2023-03-27 . Convoy of Myanmar Junta Reinforcements Decimated Near Matupi: Chin Resistance . 2023-10-28 . The Irrawaddy . en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20240322030741/https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/convoy-of-myanmar-junta-reinforcements-decimated-near-matupi-chin-resistance.html. 22 March 2024.
  20. Web site: Web Master . Assam Rifles fired ten gunshots after entering Paletwa township . 2023-10-28 . www.narinjara.com . en. https://web.archive.org/web/20231028075459/https://www.narinjara.com/news/detail/6411cd1366b6f3021f33eabd. 28 October 2023.
  21. Web site: Hasnat . Karishma . 2023-03-15 . 'Routine verification' — Assam Rifles deny they crossed border after Myanmar media outlet posts photos . 2023-10-28 . ThePrint . en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20231028075454/https://theprint.in/india/assam-rifles-deny-entering-myanmar-after-fb-photos-row-routine-verification-didnt-cross-border/1445367/. 28 October 2023.
  22. News: Myanmar's western Chin state pummeled by junta's air force in April . 27 April 2023 . RFA News. https://web.archive.org/web/20231101221244/https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/chin-04272023163103.html. 1 November 2023.
  23. News: Regime Forces Resistance Groups From Village In Tedim Township . BNI Online . 26 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20231106134609/https://www.bnionline.net/en/news/regime-forces-resistance-groups-village-tedim-township. 6 November 2023.
  24. News: Atrocities Mount Amid the Return to War in Western Myanmar . 22 November 2022 . The Diplomat. https://web.archive.org/web/20230930205031/https://thediplomat.com/2022/11/atrocities-mount-amid-the-return-to-war-in-western-myanmar/. 30 September 2023.
  25. News: Myanmar military, Arakan Army halt hostilities on humanitarian grounds . Radio Free Asia . 28 November 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20240329165537/https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/ceasefire-11282022182711.html. 29 March 2024.
  26. News: Civilian and defence force fighter killed in Tonzang Township, Chin State . Mizzima . 5 August 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230806140345/https://www.mizzima.com/article/civilian-and-defence-force-fighter-killed-tonzang-township-chin-state. 6 August 2023.
  27. News: Myanmar Armed Group Presses Offensive in Rakhine State . 14 November 2023 . AFP News . The Defense Post. https://web.archive.org/web/20231114110802/https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/11/14/myanmar-armed-group-offensive-rakhine/. 14 November 2023.
  28. News: Chin Resistance Routs Myanmar Junta in Second Indian Border Town . 13 November 2023 . The Irrawaddy. https://web.archive.org/web/20231119124756/https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/chin-resistance-routs-myanmar-junta-in-second-indian-border-town.html. 19 November 2023.
  29. News: Myanmar ethnic alliance fighters attack border outposts as civilians flee . 13 November 2023 . Al Jazeera. https://web.archive.org/web/20240322192434/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/13/myanmar-ethnic-alliance-fighters-attack-border-outposts-as-civilians-flee. 22 March 2024.
  30. News: Myanmar fighting intensifies near India border, curfew imposed in Sittwe . 14 November 2023 . Al Jazeera. https://web.archive.org/web/20240323004611/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/14/myanmar-fighting-intensifies-near-india-border-curfew-imposed-in-sittwe. 23 March 2024.
  31. News: 39 Myanmar soldiers return home through Moreh border . 15 November 2023 . Times of India. https://web.archive.org/web/20231203153245/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/39-myanmar-soldiers-return-home-through-moreh-border/articleshow/105222097.cms. 3 December 2023.
  32. News: After battle with junta, Myanmar rebels take control of border point with India . 15 November 2023 . Reuters. https://web.archive.org/web/20231128151633/https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/after-battle-with-junta-myanmar-rebels-take-control-border-point-with-india-2023-11-15/. 28 November 2023.
  33. News: Civilians Killed in Myanmar Junta Air Strike in Chin . 17 November 2023 . The Irrawaddy. https://web.archive.org/web/20231120154759/https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/eight-children-among-11-civilians-killed-in-myanmar-junta-air-strike-in-chin.html. 20 November 2023.
  34. News: 12 men in tea shop massacred by junta troops for no apparent reason . 17 November 2023 . Radio Free Asia. https://web.archive.org/web/20231211154842/https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/tea-shop-killings-11162023160723.html. 11 December 2023.
  35. News: Jonathan Head . Myanmar: Eight children killed in military strike on school in Chin State . 17 November 2023 . BBC. https://web.archive.org/web/20240212211734/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-67448410. 12 February 2024 .
  36. Web site: 17 January 2024 . Around 30 Myanmar Junta Personnel Killed in Chin State: Resistance . 18 January 2024 . The Irrawaddy. https://web.archive.org/web/20240322030740/https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/around-30-myanmar-junta-personnel-killed-in-chin-state-resistance.html. 22 March 2024.
  37. Web site: 2024-01-16 . 30 junta soldiers killed in Taingen battle in Tedim » Myanmar Peace Monitor . 2024-01-18 . Myanmar Peace Monitor . en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20240118135600/https://mmpeacemonitor.org/325325/30-junta-soldiers-killed-in-taingen-battle-in-tedim/. 18 January 2024.

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