Hakha residents protest against police quarters construction

06 June 2015 — Leaders of the Hakha elders expressed their strong opposition to the plans to construct new police quarters upstream of the historic lake in Hakha, Chin State.

They said that they had strongly disapproved of the proposals by Myint Lwin, head of the Hakha Police Force, to build police quarters at the source of the soldier lake, locally known as Ralkap Tili, at the foot of Mount Rung.

Hrang Vung, secretary of the Hakha Elders, said in the Hakha Post that they had tried, according to their General Meeting on 16 May, three times to meet with Myint Lwin regarding the matter but he had not been available.

“We could only meet with his juniors. The fact that he didn’t want to meet with us has made us wonder about what has been going on,” Vung said.

Some residents in the two wards of Pyidawta and Dawrhlun and offices in the surrounding area depend on water from the lake.

The leaders said that they would like to protect the historic lake of the town and preserve the forest, the source of water to the lake, part of Mount Rung.

They added that the proposed construction would not only destroy the forest but also make the lake dry and hence cut off the water source.

Meanwhile, state government officials including Ram Mang, minister of Planning and Economics, and Kyaw Ngein, minister of Forestry and Mines, reportedly inspected other locations for the construction following the protest.

This month, Hakha residents under the leadership of Minister Kyaw Ngein plan to plant trees in more than 1,000 acres on Mount Rung.#