Matupi, Myanmar: History
Among the villages in Chin State, Matupi (formerly known as Batupuei Village) was the biggest and most populous. The British Gazette mentioned that there were over 1,000 houses, including paddy barns, in the village of Batupuei between 1900 and 1930. Under British rule, the township was included in the Hakha district. The Ministry of Home and Religious Affairs granted Matupi the status of township on March 22, 1948.
Batu refers to the inhabitants of Matupi, Chin State, Myanmar (Burma). Batu is an ethnic group in Southern Chin State, named after descendants of Batu, the first settler at Batu village. The name Batupuei comes from Batu, the name of the first settler, and Puei meaning "great". According to some local experts from the Batu tribe, the name Matupi derived from Batupuei (Badupi); however, due to a misreading of the spelling: Ba into Ma and Puei into Pi in Burmese characters, Matupi became the most widely used name without any historical significance in its meaning.
The Batu tribe migrated from Central Burma or northern Matupi after moving place to place as the Chin people migrated from China. Some Chin people settled along the Chindwin River and Central Burma, while some continued to search for settlement in mountainous and hilly areas. Those Chin people who lived in plain areas called themselves "Asho Chin" and those settling in the western mountainous areas called themselves "Hilly Chin". The Batu tribe was one of the Chin tribes that used to live in the delta of the Chindwin River, before they moved to the western part of Burma.
The town was seized by the Chin Brotherhood alliance on 12 June 2024, during the Myanmar civil war. During subsequent clashes between the Brotherhood and the military, the Brotherhood also skirmished with the Chin National Army, with the two rival rebel groups blaming the other for instigating the fighting.