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Rikhawdar

Indo-Burmese Border
Indo-Burmese Border Image: Wikimedia Commons. Ericwinny / CC BY-SA 4.0

Overview

Rikhawdar is a small town in Chin State, in the western part of Myanmar, situated close to the international border with India. The town lies opposite the Indian village of Zokhawthar in Champhai district of Mizoram, and the two settlements are linked across the Tiau (Tio) river. Owing to this position, Rikhawdar functions as one of the principal land entry points between Myanmar and north-east India.

Key facts

Name Rikhawdar
Type Town
Country Myanmar
State Chin State
Border with Mizoram, India
Indian counterpart Zokhawthar, Champhai district
Separating river Tiau (Tio) river

Geography

Rikhawdar sits in the hilly terrain that characterises Chin State, on the eastern bank of the Tiau river, which forms a section of the India–Myanmar boundary in this stretch. The surrounding landscape consists of forested ridges and narrow valleys typical of the Chin Hills. A bridge over the Tiau connects Rikhawdar with Zokhawthar on the Indian side, providing a vehicular crossing used by local residents and cross-border traders.

Cross-border significance

The Rikhawdar–Zokhawthar crossing is one of the better known land connections between Mizoram and Chin State. It has historically been used for trade in everyday goods, movement of people belonging to related ethnic communities on both sides, and, at various times, as a route for those crossing the border for humanitarian reasons. The crossing has also been part of discussions around the Free Movement Regime that traditionally permitted residents of border areas to travel a limited distance across the boundary without a visa.

Communities living in and around Rikhawdar share close cultural, linguistic and kinship ties with the Mizo and Chin populations of Mizoram, particularly in Champhai district. This has given the town a continuing role as a node of social and economic exchange between the two regions.

Administration

Rikhawdar falls under the administrative framework of Chin State, one of the seven states of Myanmar, with Hakha as the state capital. Local administration in border towns of Chin State is handled through township-level structures of the Myanmar government.

References