New government forms in Chin State with key ministries controlled by CNF

Veteran pro-democracy lawmaker Pu Pa Thang has assumed the premiership in a new administrative body that claims legitimate authority to govern Chin State, despite lacking recognition from some other Chin anti-junta groups. The new self-described government, which consists of 14 ministries including home affairs, foreign affairs, and defence, will operate as a “parallel government” defying the rule of Myanmar’s military council in the Chin Hills, according to a statement released on February 1 by the Chinland Council. The Chinland Council was itself formed at the Chinland Conference held in December 2023 by more than 200 representatives of various ethnically Chin communities throughout the state, who also ratified a newly drafted “Chinland Constitution.” While not all anti-junta groups in the state chose to send representatives to the conference, members of two of the most powerful organisations—the Chinland Defence Forces and Chin National Front/Army (CNF/A)—were in attendance. In addition to establishing the executive branch of 14 ministries, the Chinland Council also announced the creation of a judicial branch—more specifically, a new supreme court to be headed by three judges—as well as the names of new appointees to the positions of attorney general and auditor general. Chinland Council secretary Salai Paul said the council had created the new governing body at its second meeting in the town of Chinlon, Chin State, which took place over the last two days of January. Members of the newly formed Chin State government at an inauguration ceremony in Chinlon, Chin State on February 2 (Chinland Council) The Chinland Council recently started applying the name Chinlon to the site of the CNF/A headquarters at Camp Victoria in Chin State’s Thantlang Township. The new prime minister of the governing body, Pu Pa Thang, is a member of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party who was elected in 2015 as a parliamentary representative from Matupi Township, Chin State. A graduate of the law school at Mandalay’s Yadanabon University, Pu Pa Thang is also a former political prisoner. Following the 2021 military coup, he moved to the India-Myanmar border to join Chin armed groups fighting against the regime forces. Chinland Council secretary Salai Paul confirmed to Myanmar Now that members of the CNF—one of Chin State’s oldest and most powerful extant ethnic political organisations—will head the new governing body’s foreign affairs and defence ministries. The other ministries will be staffed by elected members of parliament or representatives at the township or regional level, he said. The chief justice of the new supreme court is also a CNF member, according to Salai Paul. “This government has three pillars, each dependent on and supporting the others mutually,” the Chinland Council secretary said, referring to the newly formed government’s three branches. Salai Dokha, a Chin political analyst, argued that even if there are representatives from various groups in the new governing body, it is still effectively under CNF control. “In terms of the constitution, we can say that this organisation is fully under the control of the CNF. The council holds a great deal of power, and although they say they prioritised diversity in forming the council, there is still favouritism for those connected with the winning party,” he said. Disunity among some of the anti-junta forces in Chin State has deepened during three years of fighting against regime forces. In late January, an exchange of fire among members of three Chin armed groups near Lailenpi resulted in two deaths. The shootout occurred amid a dispute among the groups over territorial claims and the authority to establish outposts in the area. The Maraland Defence Force (MDF)—a locally active group closely allied with the Arakan Army—reportedly shot two members of the CDF-Mara, which operates in the same area. Previously, CDF-Mara had accused the MDF of detaining its members and refusing to release them. Some Chin anti-junta groups from Tedim, Tonzang, Mindat, and Falam townships have not chosen to participate in the Chinland Council, and are instead currently collaborating with the older Interim Chin National Consultative Council (ICNCC). The CNF/A was among the groups that initially participated in the formation of the ICNCC within two months of the 2021 military coup, along with members of other Chin groups and the civil disobedience movement. However, CNF/A separated from the ICNCC, which had not achieved its stated aim of drafting a constitution for a Chin State government, in 2023. The MDF, as well as the 5th Battalion group of Kanpetlet Township, is among the groups still working with the ICNCC and declining to participate in the Chinland Council. However, districts 4 and 11 of Mindat Township, both strongholds of anti-junta forces, recently agreed to join the Chinland Council. The council also said it planned to meet with groups that had not joined, in accordance with provisions in the newly drafted Chinland Constitution. Although the CNF/A was a signatory of the 2015 Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement with the Myanmar military, it denounced the 2021 coup and its armed wing has fought fiercely against junta forces. Junta chief Sr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing referred to the CNF/A as a “insurgent group” during a meeting in Naypyitaw on January 31, during which the military council decided to extend the nationwide “state of emergency” that it had declared shortly after seizing power in 2021.

New government forms in Chin State with key ministries controlled by CNF

The CNF’s clear influence in creating and running the new government may prompt opposition from other anti-junta groups in the state who are not closely aligned with them politically

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