Battle of Thantlang

Last updated
Battle of Thantlang
Part of the Chin theater of the Myanmar civil war (2021–present)
DateSeptember 2021 – present
Location 22°41′57″N93°25′41″E / 22.69917°N 93.42806°E / 22.69917; 93.42806
Result

Ongoing

  • CNA/CDF claims control of two-thirds of Thantlang
  • SAC forces maintain a presence and attempt recaptures in 2023
  • CNA/CDF capture the LIB 269 headquarters
  • Only 100+ SAC forces remain in the town
Belligerents

Flag of Myanmar.svg State Administration Council

Chin National Army Flag.svg Chin National Army
Flag of Chin State.svg Chinland Defense Force
Commanders and leaders
Flag of the Myanmar Armed Forces.svg Saw Ye Hmue Aung
Flag of the Myanmar Armed Forces.svg Hein Myat Soe  [1]
Unknown
Units involved

Flag of the Myanmar Armed Forces.svg Tatmadaw

Chin National Army Flag.svg Chin National Army

Strength
1,500+ [3]

The Battle of Thantlang is a series of battles fought over the control of Thantlang town in Chin State, Myanmar between junta forces and local Chin rebels in 2021. The battle has left the town largely destroyed. [4] In 2023, there continue to be clashes in Thantlang as the junta attempts to regain control of the township. [5]

Contents

Background

Following the February 2021 military coup d'état, Thantlang saw several anti-coup protests. As the junta cracked down on the peaceful demonstrations, many residents took up arms and Chinland armed groups started to organise resistance. Military forces killed civilians with gunfire and artillery strikes and additionally set fire to the town several times burning over a thousand buildings. By September 2021, they started gaining ground in the township. [4]

Summary

Initial battle

On 19 September 2021 clashes broke out in Thantlang when Chin National Army (CNA) and CDF-Thantlang launched attack on a junta base reportedly killing around 30 soldiers. In response junta forces killed a Christian leader who tried to put out a fire. A month later they returned and burned down two churches and at least 164 homes. [6] [7]

By late November 2021 Chin forces captured 51 out of the 88 villages in the Thantlang Township. [4]

On 9 June 2022 military forces burned down the decades-old Thantlang Baptist Church. [6] On 1 February 2023 Chin forces captured two soldiers and four police officers with their weapons. At this rebel forces claimed to control around two-thirds of Thantlang. [8]

The battle also lead to the exodus of thousands of residents as early as September 2021. [9] Over 10,000 Thantlang residents fled the town, seeking refuge in the countryside and the neighbouring Indian state of Mizoram. [10] By November 2022, much of Thantlang had been burned down. [4]

Renewed battle

On 8 February 2023, joint CNA/CNDF forces attacked the Thantlang police station. The rebels successfully took control of the station by 2 a.m., claiming to have killed four officers. The forces lost one fighter and one fighter was injured. Additionally, they claimed to have captured 40 rifles as well as grenades, ammunition and an anti-drone weapon. [11] Following this attack, the Tatmadaw remained in control of only Tat Kone hill near the town, where Light Infantry Battalion 269 was stationed. [2]

On 26 May 2023, around 150 junta soldiers left Hakha to recapture Thantlang. They encountered Chin forces and the subsequent battle killed 27 junta soldiers while the rebels suffered 12 fatalities and 10 injuries. [5] On 30 March 2023 junta forces bombed Khuabung village near Thantlang killing eight residents and injuring 20. [6]

On 14 June, local media reported that junta forces had recaptured rebel camp in Lungkhar. One column of soldiers was reportedly in Thantlang while another was approaching it. [12] During the attack, three rebel fighters were killed. On 16 June clashes again erupted in Thee Mit Valley with reportedly more than 50 soldiers were killed and 20 wounded and 12 Chin fighters killed and other 12 injured. [13]

On 5 August 2024, Chin resistance captured the last Tatmadaw base in Thantlang. According to the CNA, there are only 150 stragglers remaining in the town. [14]

Banking on the principle of universal jurisdiction, legal case was filed against ten officials of the Myanmar junta over alleged war crimes committed in Thantlang in the legal system of the Philippines. [15] The Myanmar Accountability Project and the Chin Human Rights Organization were behind the filing of the case. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinland</span> Self-declared state within Myanmar

Chinland, officially the State of Chinland, is a self-governing polity in Southeast Asia. Its claimed territory encompasses Myanmar's Chin State. It controls nearly all of the Chin State in western Myanmar, along the borders with Bangladesh and India.

Thantlang is a town and the administrative center of Thantlang Township in Chin State, western Myanmar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tedim Township</span> Township in Chin State, Myanmar

Tedim Township is in Tedim District, Chin State of Myanmar (Burma). The administrative centre for the township is the town of Tedim. Tedim Township is the most populous township in Chin State, with a population of 87,623.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zomi Revolutionary Army</span> Nationalist insurgent group

The Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA) is an armed Zomi nationalist militant group formed in 1997, following an increase in ethnic tensions between the Kuki people and the Paites tribe in Churachandpur district of Manipur, India. Its parent organisation, the Zomi Re-unification Organisation, was founded in April 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arakan Army</span> Insurgent group active in Rakhine State, Myanmar

The Arakan Army, sometimes referred to as the Arakha Army, is an ethno-nationalist armed organisation based in Rakhine State (Arakan). Founded in April 2009, the AA is the military wing of the United League of Arakan (ULA). It is currently led by Commander-in-Chief Major General Twan Mrat Naing and vice deputy commander-in-chief Brigadier General Nyo Twan Awng. The Arakan Army states that the objective of its armed revolution is to restore the sovereignty of the Arakan people.

2021 (MMXXI) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2021st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 21st year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 2nd year of the 2020s decade.

The Kalay clashes are a series of clashes between the Tatmadaw and armed civilians in the town of Kalay and surrounding villages in Kale Township during the Myanmar civil war. The conflict in the township has become one of the first instances of armed resistance to the military of Myanmar apart from actions by Ethnic Armed Organizations during the recent unrest in the country following the February coup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People's Defence Force (Myanmar)</span> Armed wing of the National Unity Government of Myanmar

The People's Defence Force is the armed wing of the National Unity Government in Myanmar. The armed wing was formed by the NUG from youths and pro-democracy activists on 5 May 2021 in response to the coup d'état that occurred on 1 February 2021 that put the military junta and their armed wing the Tatmadaw in power. The military junta designated it as a terrorist organisation on 8 May 2021. In October 2021, NUG's Ministry of Defence announced that it had formed a central committee to coordinate military operations across the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myanmar civil war (2021–present)</span> Ongoing armed conflict in Myanmar since the 2021 coup detat

The Myanmar Civil War, also known as the Burmese Civil War, Burmese Spring Revolution, or People's Defensive War, is an ongoing civil war following Myanmar's long-running insurgencies, which escalated significantly in response to the 2021 military coup d'état and the subsequent violent crackdown on anti-coup protests. The exiled National Unity Government and major ethnic armed organisations repudiated the 2008 Constitution and called instead for a democratic federal state. Besides engaging this alliance, the ruling government of the State Administration Council, or SAC, also contends with other anti-SAC forces in areas under its control. Hannah Beech of The New York Times observed the insurgents are apportioned into hundreds of armed groups scattered across the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinland Defense Force</span> Insurgent group fighting against the junta in Myanmar

The Chinland Defense Force is a rebel group in Myanmar. It was formed in response to the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état to protect Chin State from the military junta. The CDF claims that they do not attack the military without cause and that they always issue a warning, such as releasing detainees and refraining from using violence against civilians. If the military does not respond, guerrilla or other action follows. They promise to return their weapons and disband if the revolution is successful. CDFs are members of CJDC. Chinland Joint Defense Committee (CJDC) is formed to serve Chin people's security services and protect an enemy from the illegal Myanmar Army. The total strength of active personnel under the command of CJDC is approximated to be around 15,000. From August to October 2021, it was reported that at least 40 clashes occurred between junta troops and CDF in various townships. CJDC claimed that at least 1,029 Tatmadaw soldiers were killed in the clashes and lost 58 of their own in 2021.

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The Battle of Mindat was the first large-scale military engagement of the current Myanmar civil war between civilians and the State Administration Council. It took place in and around Mindat, Chin State, in northwestern Myanmar in April and May of 2021. The battle was reflected a growing trend of armed resistance in the lead-up to the formal declaration of war on 5 May by the National Unity Government of Myanmar. Mindat and Mindat Township continued to be a conflict-hit area and the battle was one of many clashes in Chin State since then.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chin theater</span> Armed conflict in northwestern Myanmar

The Chin Theater is one of the theaters of the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), with resistance forces fighting against the Tatmadaw military junta in Chin State, western Myanmar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation 1027</span> 2023–2024 anti-junta military operation in Myanmar

Operation 1027 is an ongoing military offensive conducted by the Three Brotherhood Alliance, a military coalition composed of three ethnic armed organisations in Myanmar: the Arakan Army (AA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), allied with other rebel forces in the country, against the Tatmadaw, Myanmar's ruling military junta.

Operation 1111 is an ongoing military operation in Myanmar launched by Karenni Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs) including the Karenni Army (KA), Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) and Karenni National People's Liberation Front (KNPLF). The operation was launched concurrently with Operation 1107, with the goal to capture Kayah State's capital city of Loikaw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dry Zone theater</span> Theater of war in the Myanmar civil war (2021-present)

The Dry Zone theater, also known as the Anyar theater, is one of the theaters of the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), taking place in Myanmar's Dry Zone region which encompasses the Bamar-majority Sagaing, Magway and Mandalay regions. It has been described as the "prime center" of resistance against the junta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rakhine offensive (2023–present)</span> Military operation in Myanmar

On 13 November 2023, the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic resistance group active in the civil war in Myanmar, launched a military offensive against Myanmar's military junta in Rakhine and southern Chin State. Fighting began concurrently with the launch of Operation 1027, which the Arakan Army, as a member of the Three Brotherhood Alliance, also participated in. The offensive broke an informal ceasefire between the Arakan Army and the junta that had been in place for a year. During the offensive, the Arakan Army captured several towns in northern Rakhine, including Mrauk U, the capital of Mrauk-U District and the historical capital of Arakan. These gains gave them total control over most of northern Arakan. The Arakan Army followed these successes by besieging Sittwe, the state capital, and Ann, the headquarters of the junta's western command. They also launched offensives in the southern parts of the state, capturing several towns and throwing junta forces into disarray. The International Institute for Strategic Studies reported that the Arakan Army's sweeping gains "are already enough to enable self-rule over a large portion of the Rakhine homeland and to reshape the wider balance of power in Myanmar."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spillover of the Myanmar civil war (2021–present)</span>

The ongoing Myanmar civil war has had an impact on neighbouring countries. Refugees and junta officials have fled into Bangladesh, India and Thailand. Territorial violations of Bangladeshi territory, such as artillery strikes and firing at vessels near St. Martin's Island, have caused border tensions. In India, the conflict also contributed to the 2023–2024 Manipur violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chin Brotherhood Alliance</span> Military alliance in Myanmar

The Chin Brotherhood Alliance (CBA) is a military and political alliance between several ethnic armed organisations active in Chin State, Myanmar. Formed on 30 December 2023 during the Myanmar civil war, the claimed goal of the alliance is to foster collaboration concerning affairs in Chin State and in the Chin ethnic community. The alliance was created by local Chin people's defence forces who believed that the establishment of the Chinland Constitution, the Chinland Council, and the State of Chinland "did not adhere to democratic standards, lacked equality, and failed to represent and reflect the unity of the entire Chin ethnic group."

References

  1. POWs Reveal Names of Junta Captains Who Reduced Chin Town of 10,000 to Ashes, 13 February 2023
  2. 1 2 "Ethnic Chin rebels dispute junta claim of martial law in one key township". RFA. 10 February 2023. Archived from the original on June 20, 2023.
  3. The Burning of Thantlang, 2 Years On, 25 October 2023
  4. 1 2 3 4 Fishbein, Emily (9 November 2022). "The Military Tried to Burn Thantlang Down: How a Myanmar Township Defied the Odds to Become a Resistance Stronghold". Time. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Nearly 30 junta soldiers killed in battle in Timit river plain between Hakha-Thantlang, 5 June 2023
  6. 1 2 3 "Once-bustling town of Thantlang reduced to rubble by Myanmar's junta". RFA. 31 March 2023. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023.
  7. "New fighting breaks out in Chin State's Thantlang". Myanmar Now. 28 September 2021. Archived from the original on June 20, 2023.
  8. "Chin resistance forces capture six, including an army lieutenant, in Thantlang ambush". Myanmar Now. 2 February 2023. Archived from the original on June 20, 2023.
  9. "Thousands flee Thantlang, Chin State after clashes with junta troops". Frontier Myanmar. 2021-09-23. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  10. "Army shelling in Myanmar blamed for setting 160 homes ablaze". AP NEWS. 2021-10-30. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  11. "Chin resistance groups capture police station in Thangtlang town, Chin State". BNI Online. 13 February 2023. Archived from the original on June 20, 2023.
  12. The junta army reportedly killed two comrades of the Chinland Defense Force – Hakha (CDF – Hakha) and the Chin National Army (CNA) at a base camp near Lungkhar village in Hakha township of Chin state, Myanmar, on Monday, Chindwin News Agency
  13. "Myanmar Junta Troops Seize Resistance Camp in Ambush in Chin State". The Irrawaddy. 14 June 2023. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023.
  14. CNA Warns Myanmar Junta Troops to Surrender in Thantlang After Last Base Falls. Brian Wei. August 7, 2024. The Irrawaddy.
  15. "Myanmar Nationals File Case Against Junta in Philippines". The Irrawaddy. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  16. Nuval, Valerie Joyce (25 October 2023). "Myanmar nationals seek justice in Philippines for "military war crimes" in their country". VERA Files. Retrieved 26 October 2023.