Dr. VumSon Suantak
The main reason for accepting Bo Zing Cung’s offer to meet the DC Zomi Innkuan was a promise given to the DC Zomi Innkuan by Colonel Thomas Thango, Chairman of the CNF that the matter relating to Laihilh Dim Sian Ciin that the CNF would respond within three months. The three months expired in January and Zomi Innkuan have not received any news from the CNF in January concerning Dim Sian Ciin.
Bo Zing Cung explained CNF’s achievement in attaining membership in the NDF, and NCUB as a step for gaining democracy in Burma and CNF’s future roll in the UN sponsored tripartite dialogue. The DC Zomi Innkuan is not overly concerned with these political matters as the Zomi Innkuan is a non political organization formed mainly to hold prayer meeting together. Bo Zing Cung explained that when something is done there are always some accidents. These angered Zomi Innkuan members. That meant Bo Zing Cung was trying to white wash the killing of people by the CNF concentrated in the Zomi Innkuan areas. They expected some kind of compassion, sympathy and understanding from the CNF chief for their wrong doings. Zomi Innkuan knew some people killed by the CNF were ordered by the CNF central committee.
Ming Hnin was said to have been killed by a mistake (CNF soldiers ambushed the wrong motorcycle rider) and Bo Zing Cung had apologized to Ming Hnin’s wife Dr. Maureen. During the meeting with Dr. Maureen, Bo Zing Cung was said to have admitted that he admired Adolf Hitler, and Hitler was his idol. Adolf Hitler murdered over six million Jews during the second World War. Was Bo Zing Cung on the same path as Adolf Hitler? Is he campaigning to exterminate some people in the Chin State?
Then it is the question of the Dim Sian Ciin kidnapping. Bo Zing Cung simply said, they had brought in over fifty people? This was shocking. While we worry about one person the CNF had kidnapped forty nine more? How the parents and relatives of these forty nine people must feel? The kidnappings were done as per the central committee of the CNF.
We know the assassination attempt of Pu No Than Kap was ordered by the CNF central committee. So was the killing of Stephen and the fifteen year old girl, Biak Tial. because they were suspected of giving information to the Military Intelligence as they worked in a café frequented by the Burmese MI.
Looking into these killings it is clear that the killing of Lalhmangaiha, and Zam Tung Thang were ordered by the CNF. As the Vice Chairman of the CNF and Chief of the Chin National Army Bo Zing Cung was responsible for the planning and execution of these killings.
Bo Zing Cung stated that accidents happened. In Saizang, the three CNF soldiers wounded two villagers in their first encounter. That would have been in self-defense. But when the CNF came back to attack the village with a larger force and better arms meant a declaration of war on the village. That was no more an accident and no more in self-defense. It was a crime serious enough to be reported to the International Court of Justice and the UN Human Rights Commission.
It is true that some members of the DC Zomi Innkuan pleaded with Bo Zing Cung not to collect taxes from the Tedim district. However, the main request was: Not to collect taxes at gun point and not to kill if somebody refuse or unable to pay.
MY PERSONAL APPEALS TO THE CNF ARE:
- Stop killing people
- Stop kidnapping people
- Stop beating people
- Stop robbing people
- Stop destroying property of the people
- Soldiers should not be drunk while on duty.
If you cannot feed your soldiers stop recruiting them. You do not need soldiers. You can be members of the NCUB, NDF, and you should participate in Tripartite Dialogue representing the Chin State without having the burden of maintaining a standing army. One or two hundred soldiers is no match for an army over four hundred thousand strong. I supported the CNF before I learned about the human rights abuses of the CNF. It is not important what I say or do but it is important the CNF do not kill our own people unless in self defense.
The following are the list of killings and some other crimes of the CNF that caused the DC Zomi Innkuan to be involved with the CNF.
The Killing of Retired Major Zel Za Lang and three villagers of Saizang. Saizang village lies about seven miles from Tedim, the administrative center of the Tedim Subdivision. Saizang is large village. The Manipur river flows not far from the village. The village is also in the close vicinity of Ciimnuai, the first village the people who today reside in the Lamka , Tedim, and Saikal districts.
Pu Kam Hen of Saizang village was a trader between Burma and India. He was a well to do person for the people of Saizang and surroundings. There were a few well to do people in the Chin State and Kam Hen got the attention of the CNF. Because Kam Hen lived in Saizang, a village not far from the Burma India border. He was accessible to the CNF because the CNF has its Northern Command Headquarter in Mizoram.In order to find out how rich Kam Hen was, the CNF sent one man to Saizang. This CNF soldier acted as if he was in the village to buy for gong. Staying a few days at Kam Hen house, the CNF soldier did not reveal his profession to Saizang villagers that he was a CNF soldier. He came wearing a Burmese longyi. He spoke the Ciimnuai dialect but the people knew that he was a Hakha because of his accent.
Kam Hen and the CNF soldier became fast friends as they drank together zu. However, the CNF soldier knew where Kam Hen kept his money in theonly trunk in the house. He had around four hundred thousand Indian rupees and about one hundred thousand Burmese Kyats. The man with the Hakha accent left after a few days.
Three days after the man left, three gunmen dressed with facemask and blankets appeared in the night in front of Kam Hen’s house. The spokesperson of the three demanded that Kam Hen opened his trunk. The demand was made by pointing a gun at Kam Hen. Thus Kam Hen obliged and the three gunmen went into house and Kam Hen opened the trunk. The three gunmen took Kam Hen’s money and left. In the trunk were four hundred thousand Indian Rupees (black money) and one hundred thousand Burmese Kyats (white money). (Black money and white money were terms used by the local people). Kam Hen knew by the accent of the gunman that it was the same man who had come to buy a gong, who had become his friend. He knew then it was the CNF who came to rob him of his money. It was a Friday night in October 1996. (The date could be wrong)
On the Sunday the relatives and friends of Kam Hen consoled the lost of his money. They brought zu and food. They drank zu as they gossiped and they became drunk.
On that same Sunday the CNF lead by officer Solomon came to the chairman of the village council retired Major Zel Za Lang to ask the Saizang village to pay their taxes. Zel Za Lang told them that at that moment he had only about one hundred thousand Kyats. The CNF group could come back after he collected the money from the villagers.
While Major Zel Za Lang was entertaining the guests offering them tea,some one informed Kam Hen that the CNF people who robbed him had come to the village; and were with the village council chairman. Thus Kam Hen and his friends rushed to Zel Za Langh’s house.
Kam Hen saw the man he had entertained in his house before and he and his friends immediately wrestled the three CNF people. As the drunken men wrestled the CNF, the leader of the CNF, officer Solomon shot at the attackers from under his blanket. They were wearing blankets because it was cold. One villager was hit in the stomach and the Village Council Chairman Zel Za Lang was hit in the leg. He also shot at the photo of Zel Za Lang in Burmese Army uniform, hanging on the wall, hitting at the eye. After firing at the villagers, the CNF group went away.
Zel Za Lang’s family called the village nurse to treat the wounded. The civil defend forces of the village were called to stand guard as they expected that the CNF to come back to attack the village. They were armed with a flint lock guns and double barrel carbines.
The nurse left after treating the two wounded men. The CNF came with a larger force of about armed fifteen men at about after midnight. One of the civil defense forces with the flintlock gun shot at them but his gun misfired. The CNF shot at the man and killed him. On hearing the gun shots the villagers were shouting to each other to come out with their guns to defend the village from the CNF enemies. The villagers with their old flint lock guns and double barrel carbines went to the village council chairman’s house, but too late. The CNF, using submachine guns had entered the house shooting their way into the house. They shot their way into every room of the house. They killed the two unarmed wounded men Zel Za Langh and the villager at point bank in cold blood.They searched the whole house for other men. They were about to kill the fourteen years old son of the village council chairman. In the house were also two daughters of the council chairman, who were not harmed. These two women pleaded with the CNF not to kill their brother as they had already killed their father. They would give all the money they have in the house and look for more if the CNF would just not kill their brother. The CNF then decided not to kill the young man and left.
In the morning the villagers discovered that the CNF had killed another unarmed man who was hiding in the upper floor. Pu Kam Hen had returned to his house before the CNF came back. He was not harmed.
CNF’s Killing of Pu Zam Tung Thang, the headman of Tungzang village.
Tungzang is a village with over 300 hundred houses or families.
On October 15, 2000, three CNF soldiers visited the village of Tungzang. They were looking for Pu Zam Tung Thang, the headman of the village.
Pu Zam Tung Thang was about 45 years old, and he was always interested in politics. He was the local president of the Zomi National Congress.He also cooperated with the Burmese Army and worked closely with notorious military intelligence called MI (Em Ai). The collection of taxes by the CNF and the visits of the CNF were reported to the MI. It was believed that Pu Zam Tung Thang was the one who did it.
The CNF soldiers expressed the wish to see Pu Zam Tung Thang. Pu Zam Tung Thang tended a garden outside of the village and he was not in the village. The CNF forced Pu Lamh Thang a villager of Tungzang to guide them to the garden of Pu Zam Tung Thang. So Pu Lamh Thang led the CNF soldiers to the garden.
At Pu Zam Tung Thang’s garden, the CNF soldiers told Lamh Thang to go Buanli another village because the CNF intended to collect taxes from the village. The soldiers told him to tell the Buanli headman to collect eggs and money before they come. Buanli was a few miles from the garden.
When Lamh Thang returned from Buanli the soldiers and the headman were gone from the garden. It was already late at night when he came back to his home. His relatives were waiting at his house because they were worried that the CNF soldiers might have harmed him. They heard similar stories before.
The body of Pu Zam Tung Thang was found four days later in the woods.He died of gun shot wounds, in other words he was believed to have been shot to death by the CNF soldiers. On him was a note saying” This man is associating with the government. Those who associate with the government will face the same fate”. It was stamped with the CNF seal.
The Burmese military learned about the death of the Pu Zam Tung Thang.They investigated how Pu Zam Tung Thang was killed. Pu Lamh Thang was often called to come to Tedim a oneday’s journey from the village. He was accused of aiding the CNF for taking the CNF soldiers to Zam Tung Thang’s garden. At the writing of this report Lamh Thang had not been arrested, but the investigation never died. Lamh Thang was made to believe that he might be arrested and jailed soon, he was in great anxiety.
The Killing of Pu Zam Khan Pau
With the ever worsening economic situation in Burma due to the mismanagement by the Burma Socialist Program Party, followed by the State and Law Restoration Council and the State Peace and Development Council, all members of the Burmese Army under General Ne Win, the people of the Chin State suffered under economic hardship never faced before in their history. Zo people from the Chin State depends so much of their livelihood by trading anything they own to Mizoram in India. They take eggs, chicken, pigs, cows, and any farm products to Mizoram for sale. With the proceeds they buy materials very short in the Chin State such as medicine.
In march 1995, a group of young people from Lophei village drove a herd of cows to Mizoram crossing the border at the Tio river at Zote–Farthlang foot path. It took them four days to reach Mizoram.
Along the trade road the between the village of Zote and Farthlang Chin National Front soldiers were on duty to collect taxes from the traders.The CNF soldiers were stationed in Mizoram, India.
From Zam Khan Pau and his brother the CNF demanded that they pay taxes on their cows. As the CNF were not letting them proceed further to Mizoram they paid their taxes. It was not difficult for them to sell their cows in Mizoram. With the proceeds they bought household items that they badly needed in Mizoram and returned home.
Zam Khan Pau, 24 years old, was hired by his brother to help drive the cows. He had a small child less than two years old and his wife was pregnant with their second child. The baby was expected any day. He was desperate to go home. When he and companions returned, the soldiers of the CNF at the border did not allowed them to cross the border at night as it was after sunset. Not far from Zote village, the Burmese Army had a camp inside the Chin State of Burma. The CNF soldiers explained that they did not want the Burmese Army to learn their presence at the border. If they allowed anybody to cross the border the Burmese Army might learn of the CNF presence..
However, Zam Khan Pau pleaded with the CNF soldiers to let him go because he needed to reach home because of his pregnant wife and the baby could come any day. The CNF soldiers demanded that he pay one hundred kyats for them to allow Zam to cross the border at night. But Zam had only fifty Kyats (about 10 cents in US currency at the time.)
When Zam showed that he had only fifty kyats, the soldier hit him repeatedly with the butt of his gun until Zam laid on the ground. Then the soldier push his rifle muzzle against the stomach area of Zam. The muzzle of the gun punctured Zam’s bladder. Although having so much pain in his attempt to reach home he walked until he reached the village of Haimual. The last stretch of the journey was the most difficult for him. He died in the night.
How CNF soldier robbed Pu Kham Khaw Pau ( The name altered for fear of CNF reprisal)
Pu Kham Khaw Pau was a truck/jeep driver catering traders between the Mizoram border and Kalemyo. What he encountered on a trip to the Chin State/Mizoram border is nothing extra-ordinary. There were many check points on the road. Vehicles traveling between the Chin State and Mizoram had to pay taxes (bribes) to four agencies. A trader or a driver has to pay taxes a certain percent from the value of their goods to the Burmese customs and Burmese police. Then the Burmese Army demanded protection money (that is what they call) and also a certain percent of the value of the goods as bribe so that they could proceed to their destinations, usually the border village. As a driver Kam Khaw Pau needed to pay a certain fee to the customs and to the officers of the Burmese Army.
At the Mizoram and Chin State border at Rih Khuadar village a company of the Burmese Army is stationed. The Burmese Army has also a camp at the border at the East bank of the Tio river. The other side of the river is Mizoram. The village of Rih Khuadar is only three miles distant from the border. The Chin National Front has a camp on the West side of the river in Mizoram.
As Kham Khaw Pau traveled to the Burma/India border CNF soldiers were on hand in March 2001 between Ri Khuadar and Tio. Tio river and Rih Khuadar village is only three miles apart. There is a BA camp at Rih Khuadar and one at the Tio river. But the CNF is very active between the Tio and Rih Khuadar. The CNF and the BA have a tacit understanding that the CNF can collect taxes for their existence because without the CNF there is no need for the BA to be stationed in that part of the region. Thus the CNF needs the BA so that they can collect money from the traders and travelers. The Burmese Army needs the CNF to justify their presence at the border.
Therefore it was possible for the CNF soldiers to stop Kham Khaw Pau only two hundred yards from Rih Khuadar. The CNF soldier demanded Pu Pau handed all his money to him. While the CNF soldier was asking money
he had been hitting with his fist Pu Pau on the face. Knowing that the CNF or the BA might demand money Pu Pau kept ten thousand kyats in his pocket, which he gave to the CNF soldier. The CNF soldier did not believe that Pu Pau had only ten thousand Kyats with him. So he kept asking for more money and hitting the face of Pu Pau at the same time. When the CNF soldier pushed his gun against the stomach of Pu Pau, Pu Pau got scared. He thought that it was not worth dying for the a little money he still kept in his bag. So he handed over the money in his bag, ten thousand Kyats to the soldier. The soldier then became more irritated because Pau did not give the money immediately and hit and slapped Pu Pau in the face with more brutality. The soldier then let Pu Pau go. Pu Pau could not eat with his mouth for three days because his face was so badly swollen that he had to be fed with fluids with a bamboo tube.
. The Killing of Thuam Go Pau
Thuam Go Pau was a trader between the Mizoram, India and Kalemyo. He had a small shop in the village of Tuithang. As the head of the household he often left his village to go to Kalemyo and buy merchandize and then took the merchandize to Mizoram. From Mizoram he returned with items that he put up for sale at his store.
Traveling with others in March 2001, they camped on the bank of the Gun river. They made fire to warm themselves and cook their food. While they were sitting around the fire some people fired at them from the other bank of the river. They shouted to their attackers “Stop shooting at us. We are just villagers”. Thuam Go Pau was hit and died . They learned that the CNF soldiers had fired them on.
The CNF admitted that they have killed Thuam Go Pau believing that the fire was made by the members of the Burmese Army. As the Burmese Army usually attacked any suspicious groups of people, the CNF soldiers thought that they would shoot first.
The CNF admitted their mistake. Thuam Go Pau had three little children. The killing had brought so much hardship to the family as they lost their bread earner. The children were placed in the orphanage.
. The Killing of Pu C. Lalhmangaiha, President of YMA Khuangleng village in Mizoram
On July 12, 1996 late in the night three armed CNF men entered the village Khuangleng, a village at the border between the Chin State, Burma and Mizoram, India. According to Zo Nieng Vol XI No 48, 49, 52,58, the CNF had given a lot of difficulties to the people of the border villages. The three CNF men knocked on the door, making loud banging noises. The CNF men announced shouting “We are members of the CNF, open the door” several times. As the village had been so often terrorized by the armed CNF, the villagers were in panic. To help the villagers Pu Lalhmngaiha came out of his house and asked “What is the matter? The CNF men shot to kill him. He died instantly in the middle of the village.The CNF men went to another village and forced the owner of the house to prepare tea for them and left after drinking the tea.
The Mizoram police chased the CNF and on July 19th, 1996 one of the members of the CNF who killed Pu Hmangaiha. There was a confrontation between the Mizoram police and the CNF at Vaphai village and CNF member Ca Chun was killed.
On July 25, four thousand people demonstrated in protest against the killing of Pu Hmangaiha by the CNF on the streets in Aizawl. At the rally (at Aizawl Tennis Stadium) the president and general secretary of the Young Mizo Association and Mizoram Home Minister Pu J. Lalsangzuala gave speeches condemning the killing of the Young Mizo Association president of Khuangleng.
Seven resolutions were made at the rally.
1. Tribute and honor was given to Pu Lalhmangaiha for he came forward to help the distress people of Khualeng.
2. The rally condemn the killing of Pu Lalhmangaiha as a criminal act. Pu Lalhmangaiha had never enemies or troubles.
3. The rally demanded that the Mizoram government gave compensations to Pi Vallaveni wife of Pu Lalhmangaiha and her children and the government must find suitable employment for her.
4. At the Burmese Mizoram border the villagers could not sleep in peace because of the CNf and therefore the rally demanded the government of Mizoram post police outfits at the border villages of Vaphai, Khuangleng, and Hnahlante villages.
5. The rally demanded a border petrol police for Mizoram international border(Bangladesh and Burma.)
6. The rally demanded the deportation of all foreigners from Mizoram as soon as possible.
7. The rally demanded the police should give speedy help to the YMA when demanded.
On August 1, 1996 the Mizoram government expelled all refugees or Burmese citizens from Hnathial village. The government started to deport people from Burma from other parts of Mizoram.
On August 3, 1996 a member of the Mizoram police Private Constable Pu Vanlalpeka Lance Naik, third Battalion was shot dead by the CNF.
A short time after the Khuangleng incident the CNF shot and wounded a pastor of Ruantlang village.
