The Hualngoram People’s Organisation/Chinland Defence Force (Hualngoram HPO/CDF) announced that it was declaring a state of emergency in the Hualngoram region of Chin State’s Falam Township, as of 16 June 2025.
The state of emergency was declared because for about the last week another Chin resistance force, the Chin National Organisation/Chin National Defence Force (CNO/CNDF), has allegedly been inspecting the phones of passers-by, demanding tolls and turning back people who cannot pay the toll at one of its checkpoints in Khawthlir Village, in the Hualngoram region, according to Hualngoram HPO/CDF.
The decision was reached at a meeting of the HPO/CDF Executive Committee Members held on 15 June. During the state of emergency Hualngoram HPO/CDF soldiers will be in charge of administering the area and enforcing their rules. It is not known what else the state of emergency will entail.
Explaining why they declared a state of emergency a spokesperson for Hualngoram HPO/CDF said: “The main reason is that the Chin National Organisation/Chin National Defence Force (CNO/CNDF) has intensified its military presence in the area. Specifically, a checkpoint has been established in Khawthlir Village, in the northern Rih area, where residents have been stopped and inspected over the past week. This mirrors the tactics previously used by junta troops, stopping civilians and checking their phones. We've received a number of complaints from the public, who say these actions are making them feel unsafe and anxious. We've been consistently calling for a solution to address these concerns. That’s why we've decided to declare a state of emergency as a necessary step to protect our people and uphold public safety.”
He also claimed that members and supporters of Hualngoram HPO/CDF are being discriminated against at the CNO/CDF checkpoint in Khawthlir Village.
He said: “At the checkpoint, they often ask various questions to people passing through. Supporters of HPO/CDF-Hualngoram are frequently discriminated against or even denied passage. Right now, there aren’t any rules in place to handle those who harass the public like this. Because of that, we don’t plan to take any direct action at the moment. Instead, our focus is on helping make sure the local people can move around freely and without trouble.”
Hualngoram HPO/CDF controls all of the Hualngoram region but the CNO/CNDF also has about three checkpoints in the area, one of which is the checkpoint at Khawthlir Village.
There have been no reports of issues at any of the other CNO/CNDF checkpoints in the Hualngoram region.
Khonumthung News contacted Salai Timmy, a CNO/CNDF spokesperson about the situation.
He said: “We’ve had our checkpoint at Khawthlir for quite some time now, and HPO/CDF-Hualngoram is aware of it. In the past, the security there wasn’t very strict. But after some disagreements between our two groups, the inspections got a bit tighter. There’s no toll collection at all, and if anyone is asked for a toll, they should report it to CNO/CNDF. Everyone is free to pass through. We do check phones sometimes, but only for security reasons. That’s all”.
Hualngoram HPO/CDF is affiliated to the Chinland Council which is supported by the Chin National Front (CNF) and its armed wing, the Chin National Army (CNA). The CNO/CNDF is allied to the Chin Brotherhood and the Interim Chin National Consultative Council (ICNCC), which effectively acts as the Chin Brotherhood’s political wing.
There have been disagreements and fighting between those Chin factions since the coup, but they have been trying to resolve their differences.
Khawthlir Village is situated on the road that connects Rihkhawdar Town, near the India-Myanmar border, to Falam Town, both of which are in Falam Township.
