The 20th February , 2010 marks the 62nd anniversary of Chin National Day…the day that the Chin people gathered in unity at Falam town in 1948 to protest against traditional feudal aristocratic administrative system and adopted democratic ruling system in Chin Hills.
Just sixty years ago on February 12, 1947, the historic Panglong Agreement was signed by the Chin Leaders, believing that freedom will be more speedily achieved by their immediate cooperation with the interim Burmese Government.
On April 12, 1947, representatives from the various parts of Chinland stated the conditions under which to unite with Burma in their memorandum to the Frontier Areas Committee of Enquiry which was formed to find out the wishes of the peoples of the Frontier Areas of Burma as authorized by the Aung San – Attlee Agreement. The two conditions are:-
First: To join in the Federation and Second: To secede at any time.
Observing the 62nd Chin National Day
We reaffirm our solidarity and integration to continue to uphold the Panglong Agreement and the wishes of our people as expressed in the memorandum to the Frontier Areas Committee of Enquiry.
We solemnly point out that the wishes of the peoples of the Frontier Areas of Myanmar have not been realized even after sixty years of independence from British rule and that our goodwill has always been misconstrued and exploited since the sudden and tragic death of General Aung San on July 19, 1947.
We appeal to the Government of Myanmar, the Great Britain and the United States of America, and no less to the governments of United Nations to appreciate our claim for the right to have self determination under the genuine Federal Government of Myanmar in the spirit of the Panglong Agreement.
We are of the opinion that if our wishes are respected and realized in full, to secede from the federation is out of the question.
We sign this declaration in the observance of the 62nd Chin National Day, the twentieth February 2010.
Chin National Day Committee-2010
CHIN COMMUNITY IN NORWAY
Download PDF version of this statement here