Aid sent directly from Thailand across the border into Karen and Karenni states would be the best way to support people struggling with the impacts of war and the aftermath of floods, according to civil society organisations.
Aid workers explained that only very limited quantities of international aid that goes through the junta reaches those in need in Karen and Karenni states, due to restrictions imposed by the junta. Sending aid from Thailand across the border directly into Karen and Karenni states would be far more effective and more aid would reach people in need.
Saw Nanda Hsu, a spokesperson for the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) said: “The people [in Karen State] are now dealing with the aftermath of a flood, worsening the hardships they already face from war. As their struggles have doubled, it’s become nearly impossible for them to overcome these challenges without outside help. Without support from organisations and relevant officials, people are barely managing to survive. They now rely heavily on the humanitarian assistance provided by these groups to sustain their livelihoods.”
Many people who had already been forced to flee their homes in Karen and Karenni states because of fighting faced further hardships when they were hit by flash floods caused by the tail-end of Typhoon Yagi from mid September to the beginning of October 2024. The flooding also meant that hundreds of thousands more people are now in need of aid in Karen and Karenni States.
Saw Nanda Hsue pointed out that the people living in areas controlled by armed resistance organisations are more reliant on international aid to help support them than others in junta-controlled areas. This is because aid that goes through the junta and is distributed by them does not reach areas controlled by resistance groups because the junta are exploiting and weaponising crises and aid distribution.
He said: “In international [aid] distribution, aid is typically distributed through the government-to-government [G to G] model. However, in Myanmar's current context, relying on this model means aid will not reach the people who truly need it. We have previously said that the junta is the main perpetrator of the humanitarian and human rights crises in Myanmar, and it uses these crises as weapons for its own gain. Therefore, the more crises there are, the more opportunities the junta has to exploit the situation.”
Mu Se, the director of Kyay Latt Myay, a humanitarian group working to support flood victims on the borders of Karen and Karenni states said that international aid providers must engage and collaborate with local civil society organisations, as this is the only way to ensure that assistance reaches those who truly need it.
He explained: “For instance, if organisations like the World Food Programme [WFP] adopt a cross-border approach, they will be able to ensure that aid reaches those in need in Karenni State. However, if these organisations continue using the old method of distributing aid through the junta, the amount that reaches those in need will be much less, and in some cases, it may not reach them at all.”
Junta soldiers and fighters from the junta-aligned Pa-O National Organisation (PNO) stationed on the border between Shan and Karenni states are restricting, hindering, and disrupting the flow of goods and humanitarian aid from southern Shan State to Karenni State and threatening the people transporting them.
Khun Bedu, the Chairman of the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) said that as well as not allowing international aid into Karenni State, the junta has also exploited the flooding by attacking resistance forces who are trying to assist flood victims.
He said: “The junta has yet to send any aid materials, such as food and medicine [to Karenni State]. Moreover, it has been intensifying military operations targeting flood-affected areas. The available land routes are already quite limited due to the floods, and these scarce routes are further subjected to shelling by the junta.”
To get round these obstacles he said international aid organisations should prioritise sending aid from Thailand through the border directly into Karenni State. He also said that the KNDF has been continually urging the Thai authorities to relax regulations to facilitate effective cross-border assistance for those in need in Karen and Karenni States.
