No-one was injured and the building suffered no major damage in the attack suspected to be the work of nationalists upset by the census .

One local explains that “the CNF wants to add ‘Chin’ before a person’s name in the census, but some local people cannot accept it”.

The government acknowledges 53 different tribes in Chin state, but the Zomi (Tidim) tribe is not included. They want to be able to add “other” as there is no code for them.

At last year’s Chin National conference it was agreed that 401 would be the code for Chin in the census.

The isolated Zoma, estimating 3 million in Burma, say they have been confused by outsiders as being Chin  and have their own customs and traditions.