A Short Speech About Chin National Day

Hihi Rev. Dr. Clifford Van Thang nih avoi(61)nak Chin National Day ah a chim mi kan vun langhter than mi a si.

A SHORT SPEECH ABOUT CHIN NATIONAL DAY

Rev. Dr. Clifford Van Thang on the 61st CND Celebration, Manila, 2009

Good evening beloved brothers and sisters of my fellow Chin people and our honored guests who come to promote the ceremony!

It’s a privilege to share some interesting stories about the Chin people on this historic and momentous event of the celebration of the 61st Chin National Day which falls on February 20, every year.

We, the Chin people left a place called Chinlung in China around AD 225 for westwards because of some intolerable situations. Many of us settled in the eastern side of Tio and Kaladan Rivers which are like our Jordan and some of them settled in the western side of the rivers.

The time of the first settlement in Chinland, according to pu Chawn Kio is thought to be around AD 1300. Indeed, the original Chinland is a bit wide. It is almost forty thousands square miles (Chinland 13,907; Manipur 8,628; Mizoram 8,139; and Nagaland 6,401). They ruled themselves for about six hundred years until the British colonization. Two third of the land is now in India and only one third is in Myanmar. It was split because of General Aung San’s clever persuasion and we still suffer until today because of U Nu’s wrong decision, which makes the Pinlung (also written as Panglong) Federal flower (planted Feb. 12, 1947) unable to bloom for almost 50 years, 1962-2009.

Originally the Chins have many but tiny different traditions and we are very rich in language; we have more than 50 different dialects, and we have many different tribal names as is recorded in Chin Hills Regulation 1896: “Chins includes Lushai, Kuki, Nagas , Chins in the Chin Hills and any persons who adopt Chin culture and language.” 

The British extended its territory up to Chittagong hill track around 1760 and annexed Lower Burma in 1855. The British asked permission to construct a land route from India to Burma throughout Chinland. The Chin people who had never been ruled by any foreign nations, denied the plan being seen the future consequences.

Advantageously, the British fought Chinland from both India and Burma sides. The Chins are courageous and brave; were known as headhunters and good fighters; are simple minded and faithful. These are the identities of the Chins. Thus, the British officers want the Chins and Korkha alone to be their personal guards. If they possessed arms of the same quality, the Chins might win the battle.

At last, they made an agreement in 1888. The British agreed to let the Chins continue their Hereditary Chieftainship, (Sawbua:) in Burmese, and the Chins agreed to pay tax to the British. Politically we won, but economically we lost. We gave every good thing we had to foreigners.

You may ask, “We gave tax in kind (khuachiah rawlrel) to our chiefs. What’s the difference?” No, what we gave to our chiefs made our land and people rich; what we gave to foreigners made us poor.

From 1888 until 1948, exactly 60 years, we were under the control of the British government economically and we became poorer and poorer and they treated us as if we were slaves. If it is your turn, even if you are a widow or an old man, there is no exemption. You become a coerced porter like some of our people today. You get no pay, no pity. In that situation, future for the Chin people was unimaginable.

Knowing this and dreaming for human rights in Democracy and envisioning a bright future for the next generations, the first Chin Hill Union Organization was emerged February 20, 1928. Reaching the nadir of suppression, men of politics and patriotism from each Township like the late pu Len Dun of Vanzang, my native village, for example, reorganized and renegotiated their people to overthrow the British annexation along with the Hereditary Chieftainship. (Vanzang Tlang became a well versed phrase because of pu Len Dun’s well known leadership in this attempt. With some of his friends, they even encountered detention with many hardships).

After many struggling and sufferings of the leaders, the Chins Public General Meeting for Democracy was successfully held February, 1948 in Falam, former capital of Chin State. Almost 5000 patriotic delegates attended the momentous meeting.

Given compensation for some years, all the chiefs of the Chins willingly agreed to terminate their hereditary Chieftainship. Hence, the door of the long waited Democracy was open on the 20th of February, 1948, a day which can never be forgotten by the Chin people.

That is the reason why we are gathering once a year and celebrate the Chin National Day (not Chin State Day) joyously and as for my conclusion, I want every one of us to pray fervently and work out to find again soon our lost world of Democracy. 

Thank you and may God bless all the Chin people around the world.

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Sources: Pu Lian Uk, Pu Thomas Thangnou, Pu Lian Hmung Sakhawng, 

Pu Chawn Kio; Pu Salai Tun Than and Wikipedia