Becoming an IDP
Lian Bawi is a humanitarian worker in Chin State. He was interviewed on August 15th, 2022.
“In the past, I worked as a humanitarian and supported IDPs in Chin State. I am actually still doing that, despite having become an IDP myself.”
"Life used to be easy: I was living with my family in Thantlang and everything was nearby. But now we live in a remote village in Chin State and don’t have many resources, so we mainly forage or fish in the jungle or forest. It’s very tough.
On September 10th, 2021, we had to flee our town and move to my parents’ home village. All the houses in Thantlang were burnt down—the Burmese military set fire to the town—so we had to run for our lives. The town is now nothing but ashes and few remaining houses that are still standing. My house was also burnt down a little later, in November 2021, after we fled. We didn’t bring anything with us when we left, so everything was destroyed in the fire. At the moment, some Chin Defence Forces people are staying in Thantlang to protect what’s left of it.
I decided not to join the armed resistance because I have a family and children and I support us all financially. But I greatly admire the people’s army and help them in any way I can. They defend and protect us; they are courageous and strong. We trust and believe in them—we know that they will be the ones to bring peace to our land and country.
In the past, I worked as a humanitarian and supported IDPs in Chin State. I am actually still doing that, despite having become an IDP myself. There is no proper support for IDPs; humanitarian aid is difficult to access. I still do my best and have some funds from my organization to deliver support to people in need. We all need food, clothes, security and livelihoods. I don’t see any other NGO here (international or domestic). The support is mainly from locals, but we are lacking a lot of basic things now in Chin State.
As an IDP, life is tough, and sometimes we feel desperate. But when I travel around and meet people in camps I get strength from talking with them. It’s encouraging to share kindness and compassion. Sometimes they tell me they feel lucky to be alive; they still have faith and confidence in restoring peace and returning to their homes or building new ones. Listening to them and the way they cope gives me hope.
Many people have escaped Chin State to go to India and they stay in Mizoram. In a way, we‘re quite lucky that the Mizoram government and Chin leaders have come to an agreement to issue refugee cards for our people in exile. It makes staying there legal and much less risky; we are safe. Some Chin people stay in refugee camps while others live in the cities and rent apartments if they can afford it.
We are also thinking of moving to India someday soon. My son will need to attend school soon, and my wife is pregnant with our second child, so she’ll have to give birth in a hospital there. Unfortunately, the Chin health care system has collapsed along with many other things.
I still have hope. When I see the strength and fire of the resistance in Chin State, I can only believe in change and a new federal democratic Myanmar. Because of the emotions that animate Chin people in their hearts, our resistance is very focused and intense. The level of sacrifice and determination is also very high. That is why we will defeat the junta and be part of a prosperous and peaceful change, and create a better place for our children to live in."
These stories are collected by the Real Stories Not Tales team. Real Stories Not Tales is a dedicated team in and out of Myanmar that aims to bring awareness to the reality of people's lives since the Myanmar military staged a coup on February 1st, 2021. Stories are collected through interviews with each protagonist by the team, either in Burmese or in English. Each character is drawn by a professional illustrator. RSNT is an anonymous name that is used by the group to guarantee security to all parties involved in the collection of the stories.