Students Sport Festival in Chin Sta

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Students sport festival in Chin State.

All Universities and colleges, except tightly guarded "Ywathikyi"
institution are being closed for more than an academic year. The students
are calling for to open the Universities and colleges. 14 months ago, the
student demonstrators demanded to organize student unions. But they were
water-cannoned and detained. 

Meanwhile the student's sport festival was delayed from February to March
24. The organizing committee meeting was held neither at the ministry of
education nor at the ministry of sport. But it was held at the defense
ministry last week. The venue is in Hakha. Accordingly nine battalions
have been deployed in Chin State. SPDC has a contingency plan to hold it
in Kalaymyo. Chin State is so cold, but not calm. Recently fighting broke
out between SPDC army and resistant group in the state. The border trading
between Burma and Mizoram is being closed. 

The salaries of all government employees are cut every month for that
sport festival. All private businesses are forced to donate. The local
people are forced to contribute labor and money from time to time. 

The students from all states and divisions have to travel along the
accident-prone Pale-Gangaw road. For those who do not have experience of
the 4-mile up and 4-mile down road to cross over Pon-taung-pon-nya range,
it is so risky. 

February 20 marks the 50th anniversary of Chin National Day. But Chin
people are outraged because military rulers changed the National Day as
Chin State Day. The exile Chins have privileges to celebrate their golden
jubilee of Chin National Day. So it is hard to say Chin people are proud
of sport festival held in the Capital of the Chin State.

CCN