TEDIM, CHIN STATE – 6 June 2026 – After four months of agonizing uncertainty, the families of two missing residents from Suahlim village in Tedim township have received confirmation that their loved ones were killed by State Security and Peace Commission (SSPC) military troops.
The victims have been identified as Mr. Ngin Lem Khai, a 40-year-old man with a hearing impairment, and Mr. Zam Khua Thawng, an elderly resident of the village. Both men had made the difficult decision to remain in Suahlim to safeguard their homes while the majority of the village population fled escalating violence in the area.
The confirmation of their deaths came to light following testimony from a defected SSPC soldier, who disclosed that the two men had been arrested and subsequently killed during the SSPC’s military operations to reconstruct an outpost in neighboring Thaingen village.
The disclosure marks the end of a harrowing four-month search, during which families had been unable to locate any trace of the men.
The families formally confirmed the tragic news on 5 June. As of this report, the bodies of the two men have not been recovered, leaving the families unable to proceed with funeral arrangements or find definitive closure.
Mr. Ngin Lem Khai’s surviving family members, who are currently displaced in Kalay town, Sagaing Region, are among the many civilians bearing the profound cost of the ongoing regional instability.
Since January 2026, the region has seen a significant influx of SSPC troops and a marked increase in aerial bombardments and artillery fire in the Tedim and Taingen areas.
The military’s efforts to control key transit routes and strategic locations, such as the Kennedy Hill base, have triggered heavy clashes with Chin allied resistance forces, including the PDF-Zoland and CDF-CDM-Siyin.
For those remaining in their villages, the military’s presence has brought an increasingly lethal threat, with numerous reports documenting civilian casualties from shelling, airstrikes, and alleged rights abuses, including the reported use of civilians as human shields in other parts of the region.
As the SSPC expands its operations across the township, civilians who choose to remain behind to protect their properties face disproportionate and escalating risks.
Local monitors continue to track the deteriorating situation in Tedim, where the loss of civilian life and systemic disruptions—including the destruction of critical infrastructure on the India-Myanmar trade route—remain at the center of the regional crisis.
For the families of Mr. Ngin Lem Khai and Mr. Zam Khua Thawng, the focus remains on the painful search for their loved ones’ remains and the broader pursuit of justice amidst a climate of ongoing conflict. – Reporting by Daniel
