Than Tlang

Geography and Ethnicities

Thantlang is located 25 miles from Hakha, the capital of Chin State. Thantlang was formerly known as Thlan Tlang ("Cemetery Hill") for the many cemeteries on the city's west side. In 1983, the People's Council officially changed the name of the town to "Than Tlang" ("Famous Hill").

Thantlang sits between the Vuichip and Marau Mountains. The Kaladan River flows between Hakha and Thantlang before it swerves north through into India's Mizoram State and re-emerges in Paletwa, where it merges into the Bay of Bengal. Thantlang's borders extend to Mizoram's edge in India. The town's water flows in from the nearby Buhva and Lahva 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 neighboring 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.

There are many different dialects in Thantlang but locals have no difficultly understanding each other.

Education

The literacy rate of people from Than Tlang is arguably one of the three highest within Chin State, mostly among people from Tedim and Falam. Since 2000, there have been some private tuition schools in Than Tlang which have helped many young students into more successful passing rate into governmental high school. Older people are staunch supporters of education for the younger generations. Many local developments were done through local community labour as government never supports necessary rural and urban development. Most of the nine regions are not accessible by cars since no paved roads have been built by the government except for a few locally built roads. Many villagers travel by walking - which can take up to three days - to reach Than Tlang proper in order to do their shopping.

Tourism

There are many areas for tourists to visit within Than Tlang. In the countryside are massive rocky mountains, such as the Lung Ding in Vazang and Ma E Pi Mountain in Zophei. Many historical locations are still maintained by local villagers, most notably the legendary well Siapanglai, in the Bawipa region.

Festivals

Chin National Day (February 20, now banned by the Burmese regime) and Easter Sunday (known locally as "tho puai") are regular seasonal festivals. An annual football 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)sports festival in Than Tlang. Christmas is the grandest feast of the year. Local farmers, depending largely upon the two small rivers, grow vegetables such as cabbage, mustard, garlic, and onion, generally producing only enough for their own families but not the entire town's population.

Centenary Cross Controversy

In April 1999, the people of Than Tlang erected a wooden cross monument on Vuichip Mountain with support from all of Chin State, commemorating one hundred years of living as Protestant Christians. 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. The regime erected a pagoda on the north hilltop over Than Tlang, where a local Burmese monk stayed. By 2011, many people in Than Tlang were planning to build a "Prayer House" on Vuichip Mountain so that all Christians could pray and observe fasting there freely.