Although Chuncung residents have planned to stage a protest today (October 29) over the Chin State government’s implementation of a national park in Mt. Zinghmuh, which lies at the borders of Hakha, Falam, and Htantlang townships in the Chin State, and the construction of a dam in Lai tili Lake without informing the public, it has been postponed due to a request from the local authorities.
“The General Administrator summoned us. As they will be busy with security [issues] for the upcoming by-election on November 3, they told us not to protest now and protest only after the election. So, we have agreed to protest after the by-election,” a local village elder from Chuncung Village said to Khonumthung News.
Residents of Chuncung Village will hold a meeting this evening and decide on another date for the protest, he continued.
Chuncung residents have been doing slash-and-burn farming and migratory slash-and-burn farming in this area for many generations and Lai tili Lake is a source of Ti O Creek and a sacred place since the days of their forefathers.
The area is also the main grazing land for the villager’s domestic animals.
Mt. Zinghmuh is located in Hakha, Htantlang, and Falam townships and its peak is 8,414 feet above sea level. The government is developing a 19,937-acre national park, covering 7,756 acres in Hakha Township, over 4,000 acres in Htantlang Township, and over 6,000 acres in Falam Township.
