El Chin National Front, un grupo armado que pretende la independencia del pueblo chin, ha presentado su propuesta de bandera nacional de esta etnia, una de las que habitan en Myanmar.
Ethnic armed group proposes Chin national flag design
Salai Tun
New Delhi (Mizzima) – The Chin National Front, an armed ethnic group, has conducted a worldwide census of Chin people to make sure they accept its proposed design for a Chin national flag, a CNF spokesman says.
The CNF gave presentations on their flag design to Chin people in 10 countries including Malaysia, Norway, Denmark, Thailand, Singapore and Canada. Central executive committee members had also made presentations of the proposal in the United States since last month, front spokesman Pu Htet Ni told Mizzima.
“I think we should have a Chin national flag. I hope that our proposed flag will be accepted as the Chin national flag by Chin people. I hope … [they] like the colours and symbols,” CNF spokesman Pu Htet Ni told Mizzima.
The proposed flag has a red, white and blue background. It has a central incomplete white circle containing a pair of Indian pied hornbills. The red represents bravery, white, purity, blue, nobility and the hornbills, loyalty, he said.
“We could not find a flag design that could represent all Chin groups. But all Chin people accepted the Indian pied hornbill as a symbol of loyalty. We don’t have a national flag but different Chin groups have different flags … [in which the] Indian pied hornbill is widely used,” Pu Htet Ni said.
CNF chose the proposed flag at its fourth party conference in December 2008, he said. In the past, CNF used a red, white and blue flag with a central white star and the three colours represented Chin people in Burma, India and Bangladesh.
When the Burma Socialist Programme Party ruled the country, the Chin national flag of the Chin State Cultural Department was blue and red with a green background, a central white circle and a couple of perching hornbills on the flowers in the circle, around which were nine white stars.
Chin political parties also agreed that the Chin State needed a national flag and that only Chin people must decide the design.
“We should have a Chin national flag. Chin people need to show unity under a national flag. Whoever created the design, we will agree [to it] if it is good. But I think a national flag should not be chosen by just one person or organisation. It needs to be accepted by most of the Chin people”, Chin National Party (CNP) chairman Zo Zam told Mizzima.
Chin Progressive Party (CPP) chairman No Thang Kap said: “Yes, we should have a national flag. But they [CNF] should also discuss the flag with the two Chin political parties in Burma. If they fail to [do that] … their mission will also fail.”
Eleven out of 38 CPP candidates and nine of the CNP 22 candidates won parliamentary seats in the election on November 7.
“Since my childhood days, the symbol of Indian pied hornbill is widely accepted by Chin people. Although I have no idea, I can say that it’ll be better if the flag has the symbol of the Indian pied hornbill. But I have no idea with regard to the background colours,” Zomi National Congress chairman Pu Chin Sian Thang told Mizzima. He added that he was worried that the different Chin groups would use different flags in the name of the Chin national flag as it might lead to disunity.
CNF, which is fighting for racial equality and self-determination, was established in May 1988.
Mizzima
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