Chin Refugee Families Moved after Attempted Robberies
26 November 2012: Four families from the Chin refugee community have moved out from their apartment in Cheras Alam Jaya of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia following two attempted robberies on 19 and 20 November.
The Chin families were relocated to another apartment of Chin refugees in the area in the middle of the night with the help of Malaysian police after a group of South Asians tried to break in their rent homes twice.
Pu Bawi Cung, one of the families, said: “At about 4am on the night of 19th, they [South Asians] came up to the main metal gate of our apartment. They swore and shouted at us like they would kill all of us. Luckily, they couldn’t cut the metal open and left afterward.”
The South Asian robbers first attempted to rob an office in the building before they moved onto the apartment upstairs, according to Pu Bawi Cung.
“We heard them talking and hitting the door of the office. Since they couldn’t break in, they came up to our apartment. We, including our children, were so scared.”
It is reported that the robbers, out of frustration, threw stones at the house of the Chin refugee families, leaving their windows broken.
On 20 November, the robbers locked the main gate to the building and two of them tried to cut off the metal door of the Chin rented apartment at about 11pm.
“We called our friends to come to help us. When they arrived at the building, they were attacked by members of the South Asian gang. Later, two Malaysian policemen turned up,” added the Chin refugee, originally from Ruakhua village of Thantlang Township, Chin State.
The policemen hacksawed the metal doors and demanded 100 Malaysian ringgits from the Chin refugee families for their services.
“We gave them the money and they told us that they saved our lives,” added the Chin refugee.
Three members of the Chin Student Organization (CSO), who came out to help the Chin families at night, were also threatened with death by a group of South Asians standing at the gate of the main building.
One of the Chin teachers said: “The school teachers couldn’t get inside the building because the building itself was locked and they were at the same time threatened with attacks.”
Reporting by Thawng Zel Thang
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