Chin Development and Business Forum Held in Rangoon

27 January 2011: The first Chinland development and business seminar was held in Burma’s former captial, Rangoon, on 22 January 2011, with more than 50 Chin participants.

In the one-day forum were a series of discussions on business and development issues, based on presentations by eight key Chin speakers, ranging from investment and share dealings to synegetic cooperation for agriculture, education, literature and social advancement in the 21st century.

“The seminar produced a lot of issues for both short and long terms. One of the short-term projects is to produce a digital Chin-Burmese-English dictionary. There are many other things that were talked about. It was quite good for the first time and will be much better in the second forum,” said one local resident who attended the seminar.

It is claimed the seminar was organised in attempts to raise issues and challenges facing the Chin people in the country for future improvement ahead of Burma’s new parliament which will be convened on 31 January 2011.

One of the participants told Chinland Guardian: “It is great that a pool of good ideas were generated at the seminar but I am not sure how they could be practically implemented. I am worried that all these ideas would be just an imagination.”

It still remains unclear how the new government will come up with policies and handle issues regarding development in Chin State, one of the least developed States in Burma.

The seminar has also been criticized over ‘gender imbalance’ as there was no female participant in attendance.

Meanwhile, Chin people have been suffering from mautam-related food crisis since 2007 and facing problems with a decade-long water shortage across Chin State, according to reports.

Van Biak Thang
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