Chin History Timeline

CHIN HISTORY TIMELINE

Collected by Salai Biak Lian Sang

Pre-Colony Period, Anglo - Chin War

1800 - 1870 - Chinland was peaceful and quiet, thus practicing feudal chief ruling system even though cruel slavery was avoided by their conscience. In these years, new villages were established by the descendents of chiefs.

1871 - British established tea plantations in the Chin territory on Indian border. The Chin people on the western side therefore raided the British tea planters accusing them intruding into the Chin territory. The Chin captures a little young girl the age of five by the name Mary Wincherster who was left behind by adult tea planters as they all ran away from the raid.

1871-72 - The British invaded the western Chinland, rescued the little girl and returned to India.

1885 - The British administrators in India who also ruled Burma since 1885 declared war to invade the whole Chin country in synchronization on both sides from Burma and India.

1888 - The British from Burma tried to negotiate with the Chin rulers to let them construct land route from British Burma to British India through the Chin country. The Chin native rulers refused the proposal. The British negotiators then fired guns behind the Chin negotiators to show threat to them when they left. The Chin negotiators took it as an insult and were preparing war against the British to drive them out from the Chinland vicinity. The British knew that the Chins were preparing for war.

On February 20 1888, a British force entered into Chin territory from Bengladesh but they were attacked and annihilated by the Chins who were patrolling the bordering areas. It was a remarkable patriotic action against the invasion of other nation.

May 1888 - Before they were fully ready for the war, the British invaded the Chin territory in The Chin resistant battle against the invading British forces were so fierce that a British Surgeon Major Lequesne was awarded Victoria Cross (VC) after the war as he treated dead and wounded soldiers though he was himself wounded in a battle with the Chin resistant force. Thus the north eastern tip of the Chin territory was occupied by the British force.

1889 - The British used the Nepalese Battalions, the best fighting force of the whole British India, and started invasion of the Chinland from three fronts Assam, Bengal and Burma since October, 1889. The Capital towns such as Falam, Tedim and Hakha were occupied in 1890.

1892- Madras Military Commander In chief, Two Secretaries to Government of British India Foreign and military Departments and Quarter Master General in India held a conference known as 'Chin-Lushai Conference' at Fort William/Calcutta on January 29, 1892 on the future of the occupied Chin territories.

British Colony Period (1896 - 1948)

1896 - Chin Hills Regulations 1896 was regulated and The Chinland was declared to be a part of the British Empire when the Chin Hills Regulations 1896 was adopted by the Governor General of India in Council on August 13, 1896.

1898 - The pioneer protestant missionary couple from American Baptist Mission arrived to Chin Hills and spread introduced the protestant Christianity and a new civilization to the Chin people.

1900 - 1942 Many Chin men joined the British army and thus became one of the strongest Battalion in British Burma Arm Force named Chin Hills Battalion.

1927 - The British then kept on occupying the rest of the territories till the whole territory was totally under British control in 1927. The Chinland was thus ruled in the British Empire as Naga Hills District and Lushai Hills District under the governor of Assam, India, the Chin Hills District under the Governor of Burma and the remaining part under the Governor of Bengal in Chittagaung Hills District India previously and now in Bangladesh with the Chin Hills Regulation from 1896 till 1947.

This Chinland territory, ruled under the Chin Hills Regulation 1896 in four separate districts under three governors, was planned to be carved out to make it as a province under a British governor under the Crown Colony Scheme even after WWII in 1945-1946.

Chins' struggle for Liberation period (1928 - 1947)

1928 - Chin Hills Union Organization was born on 20 February 1928 at Hlingzung (Mahtungnu village) in Mindat Township. The founding father of the organization were U Law Ha Hing Thang(Chairman).

1932 - The first general meeting of Chin Hills Union Organization was held successfully at Ware village on 29 September 1932.

1933 - The Chin National Union (CNU) was formed by the Chin patriots and demanded Independent Chinland from British-Burma government in Rangoon. In 1933 the Chin Union led by U Wanthu Maung and Thakhin Aung Min demanded the autonomy of Chinland to the British Governor of Burma.

1938 - The British Government gave its consent to discuss the 9 proposals on 20 February 1938 under its letter of 17 December 1937. About 300 members of Chin Hills Union Organization attended the general meeting. The organization submitted nine petitions to the British Government for the improvement of Chin Hills in various fields.

Chin Hills under World War II

1942 - Japanese started invading the Chin Hills and the people under cruel fascism. One and half thousands of Japan-fascist soldiers were ambushed and killed by the Chin Hills Battalion and British force in Tiddim area. ( Sakhong : p. 196)

1942 - 1946 - The foreign missionaries left the Chin Hills because of the war and many the Chins refuge in the jungle. The war had destroyed hundreds of villages especially in the Eastern part of Chin Hills in the struggle. In positive impact, the number of conversion into Christianity became 4000 - 9000 alone in Hakha area. ( Sakhong : p. 196)

1944-1945 - The Chin Hills Battalion which retreated together with British Army to Imphal, India fought the Japanese back.

1947 - The representatives of Chin participated in Panglong Conference along with the Kachin, Shan, and Burman representatives, singed historic Panglong Agreement on February 12, 1947 to form a federal union with equal rights, privileges, and status including secession right.

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