On this auspicious 61st. anniversary oft he CHIN NATIONAL DAY, the CHIN FORUM urges all its compatriots to contemplate on our past history as follows:-

Even though the Burman Kingdom was totally colonized by the British in 1885, Chinland – being a self-governing territory and never been subjugated by any outside power in its history – remained an independent country. The British launched the Chin-Lushai Expedition starting from 1890 to invade Chinland and only after years of heroic sacrifices by our forefathers our beloved land was fully occupied and became part of the British empire under the Chin Hills Regulation Acts of 1896, which was based on the peace agreement made between the British invading forces and the Chin native rulers. Thus, the year marked the occupation of Chinland by a foreign force for the first time ever in our entire history;

The Chin and all the other nationalities, including the Burmans fought for Independence and on 12th. February 1947 a political treaty, historically known as the Panglong Agreement, was signed between Bogyoke Aung San, the Burman representative, and all the other representatives of the nationalities, including the Chin rulers. Through the said treaty a new independent country known as the Union of Burma emerged in this part of the world on 4th. January 1948;

From 4th. to 6th. March 1947 a Chin-Burman friendship conference was held at Htee Lin and both sides lead by Dee-doke U Ba Cho representing the Burmans and Pu Vumthu Mawng representing the Chins, signed a Chin-Burman friendship treaty. Together they set up the Chin-Burman Friendship monument on equal terms;

The Union of Burma was thus – as enshrined in historical landmarks- established together on equal footings with the Burmans;

From 18th. to 20th. February 1948 a mass conference of 5000 representatives from all over Chinland was convened for the first time in our history at Falam, the birth place of Chin democracy. On the 20th. February 1948 a democratic voting took place to determine the future of Chinland. The vast majority voted for democracy to replace the ancient autocratic system. Thus, emerged the Chin National Day that commemorate the auspicious transition of the ancient Chin society into a modern democratic society. ·

After fourteen years of bitter political experience under a pseudo-Union, the ethnic nationalities demanded to ammend the country’s Constitution into a federal form as enshrined in the Panglong Agreement, which they themselves had signed. On 2nd March 1962, while the federal seminar was in progress under the then Prime Minister U Nu, General Ne Win of Burma Army staged a coup to prevent the ethnic nationalities from achieving their stated goals of equality, national self-determination and peaceful coexistense under a genuine federal union.

Ever since then all trace of democratic insitutions have been uprooted by the successive military dictatorship and all peoples – that included the Burmans and not only the ethnic nationalities – of the so called Union of Burma lost their democratic rights and the country plunged deeper and deeper into social political and economic devastation.

Mindful of the above historical facts, the CHIN FORUM would draw the attention of all its compatriots of the Union of Burma on this auspicious 61st. anniversary of the CHIN NATIONAL DAY to seriously consider:-

• Why the democratic forces that emerged out of the historic Four Eights Revolution in 1988 has not yet achieved their stated goals of democracy, federalism and national-reconciliation despite blood, sweat and lives laid down by the people and the unprecedented international supports received for the past two decades.

• Why the Chin people in particular and the ethnic nationalities in general has not yet achieved their stated goals of democracy and national self-determination despite more than six decades of struggle and sacrifices;

• Why victory is not in sight despite more than half a century of tremendous sacrifices made by many an unsung heroes of democracy in the streets, prisons and jungles across the country.

The answer to these serious questions may be manifold. Comfortable answers, among others, may be as simple as blaming the leaders of the democratic struggle and also to point out the uncompromising brutalities of the successive military regime. Even if these facts may be attributed as the underlying causes of the long suffering of the people, we firmly believe that there must still be other serious weaknesses deeply rooted in our inner physche.

Careful and honest self anaylsis of the democratic forces reveals vividly that the democratic struggle lacks:-
a) Unity,
b) Political strategy and
c) Ideology, the “democratic” forces do not fully understand, embrace or practice democracy.

Ironically these deeply rooted weaknesses are inherited as a legacy of the long enduring revolution and the long suppression of freedom of thinking under the dictators.

It the democratic forces are seriously determined to bring about victory, let us all join hands together in unity. Unity that cut across all ethnic, religious and regional divides is the best and most powerful weapon that will bring us victory. Let us, from now on dramatically depart from our past wrongful path and seriously equip ourselves, the democratic forces and the general masses with democratic principles as our guiding ideology and work out a new and effective political strategy to face the new challenges awaiting the new generations. Only then will we be able to guarantee a victorious accomplishment of the task of the noble democracy revolution.