The human rights training, organized by the Chin Women’s Organization (CWO) and scheduled to take place from 11 to 15 May 2015, did not receive the necessary official authorization by the local authorities, which had previously banned human rights events of other civil society groups. Formed in 2012, the CWO is a civil society group of volunteer women working towards the protection and promotion of women rights in Chin State.
May 15, 2015
Below is an article published by Chinland Guardian
On 14 May 2015, the authorities issued official letters ordering the Chin Women’s Organization to stop their ongoing human rights training in Mindat, Chin State.
Ngwe Doe, head of the Mindat Township General Administration Department, said that official permission was not obtained for the training and that action would be taken in accordance with the law if it continued.
In his letter to the CWO yesterday, he said that they didn’t submit information about invited trainers, brief accounts of topics they would present and other documents including an authorisation letter from the local administrator. He added that they should also include a letter from the trainers promising that they would not talk about politics at the event.
The training, organized from 11 to 15 May by the CWO and the Chin Youth Organization in collaboration with the Equality Myanmar, (formerly called Human Rights Education Institute of Burma) a non-governmental organization that facilitates a broad range of human rights education and advocacy programs, started on Monday.
On 4 May, Khin Win Yi, a Mindat CWO leader, had written a letter to the head of the Mindat General Administration Department regarding the planned human rights training. However, Shing Ha Law, head of the ward general administration, last Monday ordered the organizers to stop their training being held at the house of U Law Ngai starting from 11 May 2015, immediately.
On Tuesday, Ngwe Doe had written a letter to U Law Ngai, informing him not to allow the training at his house as the organizing groups are not officially registered and didn’t get permission from the authorities.
Last month, the government of Chin State didn’t grant permission to a Falam youth group for holding human rights training in Falam town.