Chinland, officially the State of Chinland, is an autonomous state and self-governing polity in Myanmar, Southeast Asia. Its claimed territory encompasses approximately one third of the Chin State in western Myanmar, along the borders with Bangladesh and India.

History

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The state was established following the adoption of the Chinland Constitution on 6 December 2023 by the Chin National Front (CNF) and local administration organisations, establishing the Chinland Council as its governing body and changing the former name of Chin State to Chinland. This constitution was objected to by resistance groups from 5 townships (Falam, Tedim, Kanpetlet, Mindat and Matupi) out of the 9 townships in Chin State. The constitution aimed at creating a nation state for the Chin people following the principles of self-determination with a "coming together federal vision", i.e., a bottom-up approach for the establishment of a future federal union in Myanmar.

Governance

Chinland's government is divided into three branches — executive, legislative and judiciary — overseen by the Chinland Council, expected to fully establish the three branches by January 2024.

  • Daai
  • Falam
  • Hakha
  • Hualngoram
  • Kanpetlet
  • Lautu
  • Matupi
  • Mara
  • Mindat
  • Ngawn
  • Paletwa
  • Senthang
  • Thantlang
  • Zanniat
  • Zophei
  • Zotung

Symbols

The flag used by the Chinland Council is identical to that of the Chin National Front, which differs from the Chin State's previous flag. It consists of three horizontal bands of red, white and blue, charged with two hornbills in the center.

On 31 January 2024, tensions escalated when the Chinland Defense Forces (CDF), alongside the Chin National Army (CNA), launched an offensive against the Maraland Defence Force (MDF), a member of the Chin Brotherhood Alliance, following the alleged killing of a CNA soldier and detention of CDF-Mara soldiers by the MDF. Subsequent clashes occurred in Paletwa Township near the Chin State-Rakhine State border, underscoring the ongoing divisions and armed confrontations within Chinland.

On 20 May 2024, the Zomi Community of Queensland Inc. condemned the CNA for what they described as invading peaceful Zomi-inhabited areas in Myanmar through the villages of Muallum and Cingpikot in the Tedim, Tonzang, and Cikha townships, forcing villagers to flee and endure days without food or water. They emphasized that the Zomi, a peace-loving community, have endured the CNA's oppressive actions for the past 20 years and called for solidarity and condemnation of these actions, asserting that anyone supporting or funding the CNA's violence and human rights abuses is equally responsible for these atrocities.

See also

  • Wa State, another self-governing polity in Myanmar
  • Chin National Front

References