With hubby detained by PDF, KNA (B)... Burmese Meitei woman shelters at Choro Aloyo

By Our Staff Reporter
Imphal, Jun 7 : More than two years after fleeing violence in Myanmar, Chingtham Malika, a Burmese Meitei woman and her three children, continue to take refuge at Choro Aloyo Village in  Kamjong district, struggling to rebuild their lives far from home.
A resident of Myanmar's Thanan, Malika fled her village on November 15, 2023, following an attack by the People's Defence Force (PDF) and the Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B).
The violence forced several families to abandon their homes and seek safety across the international border and Malika is one of them.
"Cadres of the PDF and KNA-B shouted near my house, asking if anyone was present, and moments later they fired indiscriminately," Malika recounted what transpired at her village on November 15, 2023.
Fearing for the lives of her and her children, she fled the village.
She said she vividly remembers how she, her husband, and their children had to run for their lives that fateful day.
Although her husband was with his family when they fled, Malika still waits anxiously for his return.
Her husband never came  back after returning to their village in search of her mother-in-law.
What began as an ordinary day soon turned into a  tragedy that forever altered the course of their lives, leaving Malika and her children to endure years of uncertainty and separation.
Speaking to The Sangai Express, Malika said her husband has been detained by the KNA-B.
Visibly worried, she added that she and her children are awaiting his return although her hopes are fading.
Malika was born at Pishikhong, a Meitei village in Myanmar. She married Uzaw Naing (40), a member of the Shan community from Thanan, and the couple has three children-two sons and a daughter.
Her husband is a former personnel of the Myanmar Army.
Recounting her ordeal, Malika said that while in her country, they avoided going outside as much as possible due to the volatile situation. Living in constant fear, she recalled that on November 15, 2023, members of PDF and KNA-B came shouting, asking if anyone was at their home, and then fired indiscriminately before she could respond.
Following the attack, Malika said she hid with her children in a corner of her house.
"We might have died," she sighed.
She added that they ran for nearly three hours to cross the international border and reach Kamjong.
The village chairman allowed them to build a small house and stay there. Saying that her husband went back to their village in Myanmar to look for her mother-in-law, Malika said she was later informed that he had been detained by the KNA-B.
She said she doesn't know when her husband will return.
Saying that she does all the work she can to take care of her children, she asked how long she can continue living like this.
Malika said that she has not received any assistance from the State Government, other than occasional support from NGOs.
She also said that refugees like her report their stay to the Assam Rifles every week and approach them whenever they need medical assistance. For serious illnesses, Malika added that they go to  Kamjong District Hospital. When asked whether she would like to visit Imphal, she said she wants to see the heartland of the Meiteis at least once but does not know how to get there.