Chin National Day celebration renews unity

21 February 2014: Chin communities in Tachileik, Shan State came together and celebrated Chin National Day at a Christian church yesterday.

Different Chin tribal groups from the Thai-Burma border town and nearby places participated in the event marking the 66th anniversary of their national day.

Chin Pastor Morris told Chinland Guardian that they organized the event each year but they had more attenders this year with more than 320 people from different areas.

“Rev. Dr. Thang Za Khim gave a short sermon and Pu Thang Bu delivered a speech on the history of the Chin and Chin National Day,” added Morris, who chaired the programme.

He also said that they shared traditional foods and enjoyed cultural songs and dances presented by different Chin tribes, adding: “This really brings us together and makes us more close.”

It is estimated that there are between 400 and 500 Chins currently living in Tachileik, previously well known for being a hub in the opium trade from the Goldren Triangle.

Chin pastors and leaders in Tachileik put every effort into trying to make the new generation understand and protect their cultural values, and religious and ethnic identity in a non-Chin speaking and predominantly Buddhist society.

Hundreds of people attended celebrations held by Chin communities and university students in other towns and cities including Rangoon, Nay Pyi Taw, Sittwe, Gangaw and Kalaymyo.

It was only last year, after decades of imposing restrictions, that Burma’s authorities allowed the Chin to officially celebrate their national day following a ceasefire agreement signed between the Chin National Front and the government. #