Mawlamyine, 29 November
The fighting, junta shelling, and insecurity have increased the number of internally displaced people in Mon State, said locals.
Since the open season, local residents have been forced to flee their homes due to intense fighting, artillery shelling into villages, and fears of junta incursions and arrests as human shields.
According to data compiled by Than Lwin Times, nearly 20,000 people were internally displaced in Mon State between October and the last week of November.
More than 10,000 are internally displaced in Kyaikmaraw Township, where heavy fighting is raging, and nearly 10,000 in Ye, Kyaikto, Bilin, and Thaton Townships.
According to a resident of Ye Township, “amid the instability of the area, people are moving out of town because of concerns, and some villagers are selling their homes and farms in order to relocate to other areas.”
The majority of people moved to Kyaikmaraw, Mudon, Kyaikto, Bilin, and Thaton towns and villages, while others went to Mawlamyine.
Fighting between the junta army and resistance forces has been fierce in Kyaikmaraw township since the first week of November, and the military situation remains tense in the remaining townships except for Mawlamyaing and Chaungson.
Meanwhile, the military council deployed nearly 800 troops in order to prevent the conflict from spreading to Kyaikmaraw and Mudon.
A resident of Kyaikmaraw Township told Than Lwin Times that most people from the conflict-hit areas have moved to Mawlamyain, and in some villages, some villagers are trapped in the fighting between the two sides.
On the other hand, the military council often asks the village administrators to check overnight guests and monitor their movements in neighborhoods and villages where displaced people live.
According to an independent research group, ISP – Myanmar’s report on Wednesday 25, the number of internally displaced people has reached more than four million due to the widening of the operation area across the country in nearly three years of military coup.
According to the statements of the Karen National Union (KNU), more than 200,000 people fled their homes in Mon State due to the fighting and the military council’s human rights violations during the coup.
The armed conflict and artillery fire that occurred during the latest military coup injured or killed people in Mon State, home to more than two million people, and forced some to flee their homes and lose their freedom of movement.
News-Than Lwin Times
Photo-CJ
Thanlwintimes