Human rights training disrupted in Matupi township

08 July 2016 — Members of the Police Force and the Military Affairs Security interrupted democracy and human rights training, one of a series of events organized across Chin State, in Leiring, Matupi Township.

The authorities made surprise visits to the three-day event on 28 June, the first day of the training, took photographs of the trainees and checked the contents of the programme, according to the organizers.

A Leiring villager, who participated in the training, told the Chin Human Rights Organization that two policemen and two MAS members had arrived in the village, about 18 miles away from Matupi town.

MAS Corporal U Saw Oo Sae photographed the event and made interrogations about what had been given in the training while Police Sergeant Maung Maung said that they were there to provide security when he got to the village in the evening.

The villagers said that about 20 trainees had stopped participating in the event the next day as they had been afraid following the visits by the authorities.

“Those who continued coming to the training were not able to concentrate on the programme as they were worried about what might happen to them afterwards,” one of the organizers told the CHRO.

“It was organized with the knowledge and permission of the Union and State governments. We didn’t understand why they were interfering with our programme,” questioned the Chin organizer.

The Chinland Development and Research Society in partnership with the Chin National Council have organized a series of training in democracy and human rights in dozens of villages in Chin State and Sagaing Region since last year.#