CSO aid by social assistance associations aid war refugees in Shan state is now caught in a bureaucratic web of Junta -drafted regulations which are incompatible with the requirements of international aid donors.

The social assistance association is urgently need by the local people who have fled their homes in Taunggyi district due to the fighting between the Military Council and the People’ Defense Force (PDF) after the military coup. Many of these IDPs are not reached by the UN and other international aid organizations based in Yangon.

A member of the social assistance association who spoke on condition of anonymity explained “ The main difficulty is that the new regulations are giving us a noose. If the ICRC or the UN contact us directly to help refugees, they must be notified. The rules of their constitution are about 21 pages of A4 paper.”

In October 2022, the Minister of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, Dr. Thet Thet Khine held a meeting in Taunggyi City to discuss the new structure of the Social Assistance Association.

A person from the social assistance association reported “ social assistance associations were instructed to follow the new regime’s regulations that stretches to at least 21 pages, which includes rules and regulations to inform the authorities, if refugees in Taunggyi district receive assistance from international donors. Due to the new rules and regulations, it is becoming very difficult for social assistance associations to support those fleeing the war.”

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs announced on November 10, 2022 that there are more than 1.4 million people who have fled their homes in the whole of Myanmar, of which more than 400,000 people are fleeing due to military conflict and insecurity after the military coup.

A Shan local cso commented “This year, like last year, our association is helping and supporting those who have fled the war. But there are not many international donors. Only one -third compared to last year. The Military Council put a lot of pressure on our social assistance association. The international donors do not accept the new aid regime and some agencies responded by stepping back and watching but not provided any aid yet for 2023.”

He added. “ If international donors are cut off, it will greatly affect the food supply of the war-affected people in the Shan region.”