Kyaikmaraw, 17 November
The people fleeing the fighting that broke out in Chaunhnakhwa in Mon State’s Kyaikmaraw Township are in dire need of urgent food and medical aid, the IDPs told Than Lwin Times.
The clash erupted when the joint forces of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and allied forces launched attacks on a police station and a bridge checkpoint in Chaunghnakhwa on November 10.
Thousands of locals were forced to escape their homes as a result of artillery shelling and aerial assaults by the military council from November 10 to November 15.
Locals are seeking refuge in the rubber plantations and monasteries nearby, and it is difficult for them to get food because of the blocked roads, said a local.
Among those fleeing included the sick, the elderly, children and pregnant women, who are in need of basic health care and assistance.
The fighting subsided on November 16 but regime forces remain stationed in Chaunghnakhwa police station, raising concerns among local people for possible firefight.
Over 4,000 residents of seven villages including Chaunghnakhwa, Pawlaw, Kyaukkwe, Kawsat and Thayetkon have fled; two children have been killed, and at least 10 houses have been destroyed.
At the moment, the tension between the two sides remains high, blocking the Chaunghnakhwa-Kyainseikkyi and Chaunghnakhwa-Mudon roads.
The Chaunghnakhwa battle claimed 22 soldiers and 28 others surrendered while resistance forces lost three comrades, reported the Special Operation Force (SOF).
News-Than Lwin Times
Photo-CJ
Thanlwintimes