20 December 2025 — The Mara Territorial Council (MTC) announced the approval of the Lailenpi Town Administration Regulation Act and the formation of a Political Steering Committee (PSC) to lead Mara national affairs.
The decisions were taken during the second regular Central Council meeting of the MTC, held from 11 to 14 December in the Mara territory. The regulation was approved together with other motions and legal matters.
An MTC spokesperson said to the Khonumthung Burmese: “The regulation could not be approved during the first council term due to time limitations. It was approved at this meeting.” The spokesperson added that the PSC was formally established as political coordination with partner allies became broader and more complex.
During the meeting, the council reviewed three existing laws and discussed one draft regulation act in accordance with the Mara Charter. The Defence Regulation Act was amended, the Lailenpi Town Administration Regulation Act was approved, and two other regulation acts were referred to the Council Bill Committee.
The Central Council discussed and decided on 24 motions related to politics, defence, health, education, general administration, and the long-term security and sustainability of the Mara territory.
The MTC said its main focus was to strengthen cooperation with partner allies in efforts to dismantle the dictatorship, while protecting the political rights of the Mara people and working for a better future for all people of Myanmar.
A total of 78 participants attended the meeting, including Central Council members, CDM groups, representatives of defence forces, civil society organisations, and observers.
The Mara Territorial Council also condemned the military junta’s airstrikes targeting civilian hospitals, churches, and residential areas.
The MTC is the political wing of the Maraland Defence Force (MDF), an armed resistance group operating in the Chin State of Myanmar and bordering areas of Mizoram, India.
The MDF, one of the six members of the Chin Brotherhood Alliance (CB), operates primarily in the Mara-majority townships of Paletwa, Matupi, and Thantlang in the Chin State of Myanmar.
Furthermore, the MTC/MDF has a working relationship with the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic armed organization active in the region.
In June 2025, the MTC/MDF announced a mandate requiring all Mara ethnic group members under the age of 45 to perform military service. This has reportedly caused some youths to flee to avoid conscription.
The group aims to overthrow the Myanmar military dictatorship and achieve a secure political system, potentially federal democracy, for the Mara people.
On 24 November 2023, Lailenpi town, which served as a military base for the SAC’s LIB 304, was taken over through joint operations by the Chin National Army, CDF-Thantlang, CDF-Zophei, CDF-Lautu, CDF-Matupi (Battalion II) and CDF-Mara, according to the official statement by the Chin National Front. – Reporting by Ben
