Most internally displaced persons (IDPs) from over 30 villages in Burma’s northeast Shan State have not been able to reach the safe areas they tried to flee to and they are facing a lack of food and shelter on the journey, said local IDP observers.
The fleeing IDPs are mainly ethnic Kachin, Palong, Shan and Chinese, IDP sources said.
They are mainly from villages in the war zone in Kutkai and Muse townships, in northern Shan State, where heavy fighting has taken place between government troops and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) since Sept. 24, local observers said.
According to officials of the KIOs Public Administration Department of N. Shan State, the political-wing of the KIA, there are now no civilians in over 30 villages under control of the KIO around Loikang, the KIA’s 4th Brigade Command, near Kutkai.
There are no villagers in the large villages, which have between 100 and 600 households, like Loikang, Zai Awng, Mai Ja Yang, Dima, Daknai, Hka Hpawk, Shao Ho, Lung Htang, Bang Hpik and Hkalen Yang, according to witnesses.
Most IDPs are fleeing to the main towns in government-controlled areas- like Lashio, Kutkai, Tamonye, Nam-um, Mongpaw, Nampaka and Muse as well as places near the China border, like Kyukok (Pangsai) and Mongkoe, IDP observers said.
Some IDPs left their villages days ago and can eat only one meal a day because they are running out of food, the observers said.
As well, it has been raining since Wednesday.
Currently, hundreds of IDPs in Kutkai, Lashio, Nam-um, Nampaka, Mongpaw and Kyukok (Pangsai) are being taken care of by Kachin churches, said church sources.
Until now, no international or local NGOs have provided emergency relief to the thousands of IDPs in Northern Shan State, said local IDP observers and churches.
KIA officials of N. Shan State said over 20,000 IDPs have left their homes and villages and fled to the China border and main towns in the government-controlled areas.
