The township administrator of Hlaingbwe Township in Karen State, U Win Than, has stolen nearly all the aid for flood victims sent to the township by the junta-appointed Karen State Chief Minister.

There has been severe flooding in Hlaingbwe Township. On 30 July 2024 the Karen State Chief Minister, Saw Myint Oo, accompanied by officials, visited shelter centers at Aung San Hall and Kamawtkachu Village in Hlaingbwe Township. During the visit, he pledged 1.3 million MMK in aid and provided essential items such as rice, oil, noodles, and eggs for more than 600 flood-affected people.

Later, the Hlaingbwe Township Administrator, U Win Than, convened a meeting with the ward administrators under his authority to discuss the distribution of food. There, he said that all the donated food, except for the noodles, belonged to him, according to someone who attended the meeting.

That person said: “U Win Than claimed that the rice and oil were not provided by the state government but were his own possessions, and that the distribution of these items was merely for show. He confiscated all the aid materials, stating that only the packets of dry noodles were actually supplied by the Chief Minister. Officials in charge of the shelter centers at Aung San Hall and Kamawtkachu Village also said that the promised funds had not actually arrived yet. There is no concrete evidence, but we all suspect that the cash may have been taken by U Win Than too. It is unclear who currently holds the funds, as there appears to be an effort to obscure this information.”

U Win Than’s claims were contradicted by footage released by the junta’s Ministry of Information that shows aid materials with labels clearly saying ‘donated by the Karen State Government.’

Residents of Hlaingbwe have also reported that the promised aid materials, including rice, have not been distributed to any flood victims.

Describing the situation, a resident of Hlaingbwe Township said: "After the state government authorities departed, the township administrator seized all the food aid intended for flood victims. Initially, there was a promise that the aid would be distributed after the Chief Minister and his team left, which raised public expectations. However, the administrator later claimed that the aid materials were his own and kept them all."

Severe flooding triggered by torrential rains first hit Hlaingbwe Township on 25 July. So far, it has inundated over 140 households in Hlaingbwe Township. Temporary shelters to accommodate those displaced by the floods have been established at Aung San Hall in Kamawtkachu Village, and at the Myoma Jamae Mosque.