Kawthoolei, March (1)
More than 530,000 individuals have fled the conflict as a result of the military council’s operations and human rights abuses in the KNU-controlled Kawthoolei area, according to a report released by the Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN).
This is the number of people who have fled since the military coup until the end of February this year, and there were more than 140,000 refugees in Nyaunglaybin District alone, the statement said.
According to KPSN spokesperson Saw Lay Kapaw, the number of refugees has increased as a result of the broad conflict between the military council army and the KNLA/KNDO joint forces, as well as the military council’s heavy weapons firing at villages and aerial bombardment.
He added, “The number of displaced people fleeing the fighting has increased significantly in four months, especially in Nyaunglaybin, now it is over 140,000.”
Local communities, KNU leaders and other civil society organizations are supporting the needs of in the IDPs in KNU’s Kawthoolei area, but more aid is needed.
According to Saw Lay Ka Paw, there is an urgent need for food supplies, medical care, and shelters as the number of IDPs increases.
The KSPN requests more humanitarian relief for IDPs in border regions, direct aid through local CSOs and the ethnic armed organizations (ERO), and asks the Thai government to establish temporary camps rather than forcibly bringing the displaced people back to their homes.
The KPSN has appealed to international organizations to completely reject the legitimacy of the military group and to continue pressuring the military council, suspending all political and financial support to the military group, sanctioning all military-owned companies, blocking the purchase of weapons and jet fuel, and providing humanitarian aid to Myanmar.
News-Than Lwin Times