Mindat, Chin State, under martial law

14 May 2021
Mindat, Chin State, under martial law
Mindat, western Chin State. Photo: jumbokedama/Flickr

The State Administration Council on Thursday declared martial law in Mindat, in western Chin State, after a police station and a branch of the state-owned Myanma Economic Bank were attacked by an armed group described as “terrorists” by the regime, according to Bloomberg.

The order added the township in Chin State, home to about 50,000 mostly ethnic minorities, to the list of areas for military crackdowns. The township joins the six Yangon townships that have been under “full military rule” since March.

The move follows attacks late Wednesday that continued into Thursday. An armed group of roughly 50 people attacked security forces protecting the state-owned bank with home-made weapons twice Wednesday night and later Thursday, and a larger group of 100 attacked the township police station with arms. No security officers were injured, according to the junta’s information team.