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Thantlang ထန်တလန်မြို့ Thlantlang | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Thantlang | |
| Coordinates:22°41′57″N93°25′41″E / 22.69917°N 93.42806°E /22.69917; 93.42806 | |
| Country (de jure): |  Myanmar |
| Division |  Chin State |
| District | Hakha District |
| Township: | Thantlang Township |
| Country (de facto): |  Chinland |
| Time zone | UTC+6.30 (MMT) |
Thantlang (Burmese:ထန်တလန်မြို့;MLCTS:htan ta. lan mrui.,pronounced[tʰàɰ̃təlàɰ̃mjo̰]; alsoThlantlang orHtantlang in Burmese transliteration) is a town and the administrative center ofThantlang Township inChin State,[1] western Myanmar (formerly Burma).
Thantlang was formerly known as Thlan Tlang ("Cemetery Hill") for the manycemeteries on the city's west side. In 1983, the People's Council officially changed the name of the town to "Thantlang" ("Famous Hill").[citation needed]
In February 2021, theBurmese armed forces staged the2021 Myanmar coup d'état. Thantlang became the site of major local resistance, between Chinland Defense Force, a local militia group formed in response to the coup, and the armed forces.[2] In response, the Burmese military launched a major offensive. On 18 September, the military destroyed 18 buildings by shelling, leading to the exodus of thousands of residents.[3] On 29 October, the Burmese military destroyed an additional 160 homes in the town, with collateral damage totaling USD $10-15 million.[2][4] Over 10,000 Thantlang residents fled the town, seeking refuge in the countryside and the neighbouring Indian state ofMizoram.[4]
By November 2022, much of Thantlang had been burned down.[5]
Thantlang is located 25 miles (40 km) fromHakha, the capital of Chin State. Thantlang sits between the Vuichip and Marau Mountains. TheKaladan River flows betweenHakha and Thantlang before it swerves north through intoIndia'sMizoram State and re-emerges inPaletwa, where it merges into theBay of Bengal. Thantlang's borders extend to Mizoram's edge in India. The town's water flows in from the nearbyBuhva andLahva rivers.Paddy fields dot Lahva's banks, regularly plowed by local farmers in June and harvested by the end of October.
The township is constructed of over eighty neighbouring villages, surrounded by nine small regions: Khualhring, Vanzang, Zahnak, Bual, Vailam, Zophei, Bawipa Tlang, Lautu, and Mara. Thantlang provides space for the local governmental administrative offices, which serve all villages in that nine-region area. Roads in Thantlang township are mainly done by local villagers.[6]
There are many different dialects in Thantlang but locals have no difficulty understanding each other.[7]
Theliteracy rate of people from Thantlang is arguably one of the three highest within Chin State,[citation needed] mostly among people fromTedim andFalam. Since 2000, there have been some private tuition schools in Thantlang which have helped many students achieve higher grades to help them pass governmental issued exams.[citation needed] Older people[who?] are staunch supporters of education for the younger generations. Many local developments[which?] were done through local community labour as government never supports necessary rural andurban development.[citation needed] Most of the nine regions are not accessible by cars since no paved roads have been built by the government[citation needed] except for a few locally built roads.[which?] Many villagers travel by walking – which can take up to three days – to reach Thantlang proper in order to do their shopping.[citation needed]
There are many areas for tourists to visit within Thantlang. In the countryside are massive rocky mountains, such as the Lungding in Vanzang and Miepi Mountain and lingkhaw Mountain in West Zophei. Many historical locations, such as the Siapanglai well, are still maintained by local villagers.[citation needed]
Chin National Day (20 February, now banned by the Burmese regime[citation needed]) andEaster Sunday (known locally as "tho puai") are regular seasonal festivals. An annualfootball tournament is held among competitors from all nine regions ("taungkyaw bawlone pwe") held in the rainy season is the most exciting (to the residents of Thantlang)[to whom?]sports festival in Thantlang.Christmas is the grandest feast of the year. Local farmers, depending largely upon the two small rivers, grow vegetables such ascabbage,mustard,garlic, andonion, generally producing only enough for their own families but not the entire town's population.[citation needed]
In April 1999, the people of Thantlang erected a wooden cross monument on Vuichip Mountain with support from all of Chin State,[citation needed] commemorating one hundred years of living asProtestantChristians. However the military not only prevented them from celebrating the anniversary but proceeded to bulldoze the cross to the ground, imprisoning several pastors and any who protested.[8][citation needed] The regime erected a pagoda on the north hilltop over Thantlang, where a local Burmese monk stayed. By 2011, many people in Thantlang were planning to build a "Prayer House" on Vuichip Mountain so that all Christians could pray and observe fasting there freely.[citation needed]
Chin state is comprised of nine Townships – Tonzang, Tedim, Falam, Hakha, Thantlang, Matupi, Mindat, Kanpalet and Paletwa. New three sub-townships have been established – Cikha, Rih and Rizau respectively. Hakha is the capital of Chin state and Matupi was officially proclaimed as the Second Capital.
The Agriculture Minister of Chin state visited Thantlang Township, with the administrator of the Township and departmental officials to discuss road communication issues with local people. Unfinished road construction was discussed with local people on 17 February. Road building is to continue on a self help basis by local people of 12 villages. The road will connect Thinghual village of Thantlang Township and Falam Township.
Capital:Hakha | ||
| Tedim District |   | |
| Falam District | ||
| Hakha District | ||
| Matupi District | ||
| Paletwa District | ||
| Mindat District | ||
| Cities and towns | ||