State authorities hold meeting on Sunday

29 June 2015 — The authorities of the Chin State government met in the Hakha town hall yesterday, discussing a draft education law.

An education research group from Rangoon led the event which was attended by Chief Minister Hung Ngai, other State ministers and State-level department officials.

And Hakha district-level teachers as well as Chin MPs, town-elders and community leaders also participated in it.

Speaking to the Chinland Guardian on condition of anonymity, a Chin Christian government employee, who attended the meeting, said: “We were not able to go to church as it started around 9:15am.”

She said that they had thought there would be no more meeting on Sunday after what President Thein Sein had said during his visit to the State in February 2015.

In his speech at the event, Chief Minister Hung Ngai made an apology for holding the meeting on Sunday, saying that it was actually taking place across the country on the same date.

Salai Lian, a Hakha community leader, said: “This issue has been raised to the authorities for years and it still happens. Why don’t they hold the meeting after church services which normally finish around 12 noon? This is again intentionally planned in order for us, Christians, to miss our worship service.”

A source from the State government said that it had been the programme of the State Education Department and that they had initially been responsible for the event.

Lian said: “The meeting would not have happened if the State authorities had not granted permission to the relevant department. So, they must have already known that it would take place on Sunday.”#