abstract - Zomi Online Library

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Arc. The Arc is formed by the parallel folded mountain ranges that culminate in the Himalayas in the north. Moving
south are the mountain ranges of Patkoi, Lushai Hills, Naga Hills, Manipur, and the Chin Hills...“
http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/im/im0303_full.html
3. ADMINISTRATION
The British put several Zo tribes and their areas in today‘s Burma under a single administration area and
administered it with an act known as the Chin Hills Regulation 1896. This regulation was replaced by the
Chin Special Division Act of 1948, which was adopted on October 22, 1948. There were six sub-divisions in
the Chin Special Division: Tiddim, Falam, Haka, Mindat, Paletwa and Kanpetlet. The Chin Special Division
was changed to Chin State under Section 30(B) of the Constitution of the Union of Burma adopted on
January 3, 1974. And the former six sub-divisions were then transformed into nine townships: Tonzang,
Tiddim, Falam, Hakha(Capital), Thantlang, Matupi, Mindat, Paletwa and Kanpetlet. Since 2000 three more
townships, namely Rezua, Rihkhuadar and Cikha, were added. So, altogether there are 12 townships.
Serchhip.
Mizoram is divided into 8 districts: Aizawl, Champhai, Lawngtlai, Lunglei, Kolasib, Mamit, Saiha and
4. POPULATIONS
The Chin population in Chin State in 2001 was 432,673(2001 Annual Statistics of Burma). 98 percent of
this population is ethnic Chin. The rest is ethnic Burmans - most of them are government servants. More
than 1,000,000 Chins are living in Sagaing, Magway(Magwe), Yangon(Rangoon), Bago(Pegu) and
Ayeyawady(Irrawaddy) Divisions, Rakhine(Arakan) State and Naga Hills in Burma.(Burma is made up of
seven ethnic states, and seven divisions in Burma Proper.) The Mizoram State has a current population of
more than 900,000.* About 90 percent is ethnic Mizo. The Zo populations in Tripura, Assam, Manipur and
Nagaland states in India are estimated at 250,000. The populaltion of Zo in Chittagong Hill Tracts in
Bangladesh is estimated to be about 30 000- 45 000. So, altogether the total Zo population would be not
less than some 3 million, excluding the Manipuris(Meiteis) who are also regarded by a number of
anthropologists to be Chin. Pu L. Keivom believes that the Zo population could even be as high as 5
million. See 17.8.3 for his article.(The population estimates above in India and Bangladesh were as of
1985.)
5. LANGUAGE
Despite the lack of a common language among them until today the Zo people can communicate each
other in six or seven major dialects, which belong to the Sino-Tibetan linguistic groups. These six or seven
major dialects are so closely related to each other that someone who speaks one of them needs only
from six months to one year to understand and to be able to speak quite fluently any other of them,
provided that he lives among that dialect-speaking people. From Burma‘s independence in 1948 up to
1988 the Chins were officially permitted to learn their language only up to the second standard. However,
they could learn their dialects up to 4th standard in schools inofficially thanks to an influential and far-
sighted Chin education officer in Chin State. But since 1989 the government adopts several subtle tricks
so that they can no more effectively learn their language in public schools.
Burmese and English are now compulsory subjects. In Chin State the Laizo dialect, which is spoken in
the Falam region has been used as semi-official Chin language for the 30-minute Chin Radio programme
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* The sudden increase in population in Mizoram was not because of high birth rates, but the Mizos living in neighbouring states of Manipur, Assam
and Meghalaya etc. during the armed struggle for nationhood returned after it had gained statehood.