Three war refugee camps in Laiza Township received food and medical supplies from UN agencies on September 17, according to Doi Pi Sar, In-charge of the Kachin Refugee Relief Committee.
Officials from the World Food Program, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Children's Fund and the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) went to Laiza, where the Kachin Independent Organization (KIO) headquarter is located, with 17 trucks of food and other supplies. They provided relief to more than 4000 refugees living in the Laiza Market camp, the Hponeloneyang camp and the Alanbuam school camp.
Doi Pi Sar said, “They have brought more relief supplies this time. It will be distributed to three refugee camps.”
On September 7, UN agencies provided food supplies for a month to more than 3000 refugees in Woichyai camp in Laiza.
“A variety of relief supplies such as kitchen equipments, household appliances, pulses and cooking oil will be given to the Je Yang refugee camp, where there are more than 8000 war refugees”, added Doi Pi Sar.
They went to Alanbuam school on September 17 to distribute relief supplies. On September 18, they visited the other refugee camps, and left Laiza on September 19.
UN agencies have also provided relief to refugee camps in Maijayang in the Sino-Myanmar border, according to Doi Pi Sar.
Although refugee camps located around Laiza received relief provided by the UN, at least 6000 war refugees in Magaryang and some other camps north of Laiza, did not receive any relief.
The Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) and a few other charity organizations belonging to the Catholic community has provided relief to these refugee camps.
Colonel Zau Raw told Mizzima that there are around 70000 war refugees in KIO-controlled areas and about 20000 in Laiza alone.
The third round of relief delivery will be made in September end for refugees in Laiza. Aye Win, UN Spokesman from Yangon, could not provide details of the UN relief delivery made on September 17. He said that they would announce the details of the third round of deliveries soon.
He told Mizzima, “For a long time we have been trying to go to areas that are beyond the government’s control. Now we can take the opportunity to provide relief.”
The distribution of relief supplies made on September 7 was the first UN aid since December 2011 as the government prohibited UN agencies from going to these areas until September 2013.
