Lachit, Lauwo and Lisu ethnic groups to submit through parliamentary channel for correct name

It has been stated that the Lachit, Lauwo, and Lisu ethnic groups will submit through the parliamentary channel to obtain their correct ethnic names, according to U Li Poh Ye, the Minister for Lisu Ethnic Affairs of Kachin State, speaking to The Daily Eleven newspaper. Following a meeting where the Lauwo and Lisu ethnic and cultural committees decided to submit the issue of obtaining correct names to the parliamentary channel for approval, the Lachit ethnic group also held a meeting and made a decision on September 16 at the Lachit Ethnic and Cultural Committee office in Myitkyina city to obtain their correct names. Regarding the Lachit ethnic group, it was confirmed by Lachit ethnic people from various regions residing in Myitkyina city that the names referred to as "Ngokcham," "Lachit," "Lachid," "Lashai," and "Lashi" in the state's records would be removed, and the official name "Lachit" would be established. U Suam Du Naw Aung, the Chairman of the Lachit Traditional Literature and Culture Committee, reportedly submitted the meeting's resolution to the Kachin State government and Chief Minister U Hket Htin Nan. One of the attendees at the meeting stated, "The Jinghpaw ethnic group calls the Lachit 'Maru.' Their own designation is 'Lachit.' It was the same before. 'Ngokcham' refers to the tribes that split off. The languages are over 80% similar. Because they live in mountainous regions, their languages have diverged due to living apart. New words have emerged. They are the same tribe. Therefore, all the leaders commented that they should also be recognized as 'Lachit.' There are numerous problems with incorrect and mixed names on the registration cards." It is reported that Kachin State Chief Minister U Hket Htin Nan stated he would assist with the submission from the Lachit ethnic group. U Li Poh Ye, the Minister for Lisu Ethnic Affairs, said, "Our ethnic cultural committees are constantly working to establish the correct names of ethnic groups. When we met with the Union Ministers for Ethnic Affairs and the Speaker of the Union Parliament and submitted our proposals, we were told that it would be most feasible to proceed with ethnic groups like the Lauwo, Lisu, and Lachit from Kachin State, who have fewer complexities. Policies have been established based on laws and bylaws. The Lauwo and Lisu have held meetings with their respective Central Committees for Traditional Culture. The State Chief Minister is also assisting and supporting this matter. We will take these facts, submissions, and meeting resolutions to the State Parliament. We will then submit them to the Union Parliament, and the results will be presented to the State President for approval. These three ethnic groups are slated to be the first to be officially recognized nationwide. Currently, the ethnic groups have different appellations, but their beliefs are not divided." During the 2015-2020 government administration, then-Vice President U Henry Van Thio formed a committee to investigate and survey, conduct field surveys, and record the differing and disputed Chin tribes' issues. However, efforts to unify the distinct names were halted due to ongoing disputes. In a special order issued by the Election Division of the Ministry of Justice of the Union of Burma in 1955, it was stated that Jinghpaw, Azi, Lashi, Maru, Yawrin (Lishaw), and Nung (Konum-Rawang) were included among the Kachin people, based on the announcement made by the State President under Article 2, Paragraph (c) of the Parliamentary Election Law of 1948. U Suam Du Naw Aung, the Chairman of the Kachin State Parliament's Ethnic Affairs Committee, presented this at the 20th session of the State Parliament in 2020. It is reported that the Parliament Committee, after convening and making decisions with the literature and culture committees, revised the terms used in the geography textbook for the 2020-21 academic year concerning Kachin ethnic groups, correcting the misrepresentation of names. For instance, "Lauwo" was changed to "Lao Gyi," "Dulin" to "Dulin," "Lisu" to "Lisu," and "Lachit" to "Lachit." A motion was submitted to the Kachin State Parliament during its sixth regular session, second meeting in 2017, urging the State Government and the Union Government to scrutinize and approve the precise list of ethnic group names belonging to the Kachin tribes. It was stated during the submission of this motion to Parliament that while only six tribes are recognized among the Kachin tribes themselves, the government lists vary, including six, eight, or twelve tribes. Issues such as the lack of precise promulgation of names for ethnic groups belonging to the Kachin tribes, the confusion of tribal name lists and ethnic names on national identification cards, the mixing of ethnic and tribal names in national publications, and the existence of name variations among the five Shan ethnic groups residing in Kachin State, remain contentious. The Kachin State Parliament's Ethnic Affairs Committee has stated that resolving ethnic issues within Kachin State without achieving peace will only lead to further complications, and that a resolution can only be achieved through peaceful cooperation among all ethnic groups within a legal framework after peace has been attained.