CHIN ethnic minorities worldwide have initiated an emergency relief operation to save their people in Mizoram, India.

They said the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies must provide food, blankets and other necessities for those displaced by the unrest caused by the military coup in Myanmar last year.

This comes after a massacre in Matupi, southern Chin, Myanmar, on January 7, where thousands have been displaced and are entering Mizoram from the India border.

Matupi residents said Myanmar armed forces attacked and murdered 10 Chin people, including a 13-year-old boy, who were all travelling from one village to another.

More than 1,000 Chin people have left their villages and relocated to Lunglei in Mizoram, with many more expected to arrive in the coming weeks.

Zalattphyu (not his real name), a Chin diaspora leader in New Zealand, said his uncle was among the 10 killed in the massacre.

“My uncle was not involved in politics. He was part of a group going to visit another village.

“Since this incident, military junta soldiers have been going house-to-house in Matupi, especially at night, arresting people and murdering them on suspicion of political activities.

“People are living in fear.”

Many people have left Matupi, with some villages completely empty, he added.

Humanitarian needs at India-Myanmar border

Chin diaspora leaders in Australia, New Zealand and the United States are raising funds for food and daily necessities for refugees crossing from Myanmar to India.

Zalattphyu said: “We, the Chin people, cannot solve this crisis alone. Mizoram communities are providing what they can, but no international organisation has offered help.”

He urged the Indian government, UNHCR and international organisations to also be involved in providing aid and resources.

“There are many more who need transport to safety, as well as basic resources once they arrive. People are coming with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

“They are sleeping on the ground in cold temperatures, with limited bedding and food. This is an urgent situation and it is critical that they cross the border now.

“This is a global humanitarian issue.”

Chin ethnic minorities have historically been victims of human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests and forced labour. About 60,000 are living in India and more than 20,000 in Malaysia. Several thousand have resettled in Australia, Europe, New Zealand and North America. – January 24, 2022.