Chin State to take longer to recover from disaster

12 August 2015 — Chin communities and organizations said that rebuilding what had been destroyed by landslides in Chin State would take much longer than in other parts of the country.

They emphasized that people in the country’s western state had lost not only their houses but also their land in the destruction caused by the tropical storm known as Komen.

Dr Sui Khar, a general secretary of the Chin National Front, said in his speech at a press conference held in Rangoon last Wednesday: “What had happened in Chin State was different. Even if the rains stop, people can no longer get back to their houses, use the roads and go back to their villages because they are completely destroyed or not safe for them to live in anymore.”

Hundreds of houses were destroyed, many more put in danger of collapse and residents forced to abandon their villages following heavy rains that had caused landslides, mudslides and flooding.

According to the State government and local communities, part of the capital, Hakha, has to be completely abandoned and residents should be relocated.

Salai Bawi Lian Mang, Executive Director of the Chin Human Rights Organization, said that the authorities should take action more quickly and effectively in collaboration with local communities.

“They must provide necessary support for their immediate needs. What they said to the people must be tangibly and instantly translated into action,” Mang said.

Chin State, the least developed and one of the most mountainous regions, is the only state in the country that has no airport.

Cung Lian Thawng, from the Chin Committee for Emergency Response and Rehabilitation, said that people in Chin State had been trapped as bridges and roads had been destroyed, adding: “Now, food shortages are being feared as food supplies and humanitarian aid cannot be transported and delivered.”#