The Karenni Health Department has commissioned a vaccination programme for people living in areas controlled by the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP).
According to Karenni Health Department director Khoon Philip, 250 school teachers, medics and internally displaced person (IDP) camp committee members were vaccinated with Sinopharm doses from 7 to 8 November.
“Eventually, we plan to vaccinate everyone. But this is something we are slowly working towards,” said Khoon Philip. There are 8,000 people waiting for the vaccinations.
The Karenni Health Department is working with the COVID-19 task force, which includes the interim National Unity Government and the health departments of the other ethnic regions.
“We are trying to get more vaccines…to vaccinate everyone in Karenni State.”
Those inoculated this week will receive their second dose in a month.
The Burma Army (BA) has banned Karenni residents from taking more than 10 bags of rice without getting permission from the junta’s General Administration Development.
The measure came into effect on 3 November after some military officials met with local business people. Anyone caught carrying more than the permitted amount without a letter will be punished.
According to Banyar, director of the Karenni Human Rights Group, the new restriction will increase the price of rice in the state, leading to food shortages. ”I am very concerned about this,” he said, because there will not be enough food for everyone.
Currently, there are about 130,000 IDPs who need 1,440 bags of rice every day.
“This restriction is a big challenge for humanitarian aid. The military junta should respect and support these efforts. This is another example of the military committing crimes against humanity and war crimes, and we want the international community to take action against the junta,” said Banyar.
Most of the IDPs are farmers who can no longer work after the fighting drove them from their farms. Meanwhile, soldiers have destroyed some of their rice supplies and set fire to some people’s homes, while burning vehicles carrying food rations before they could be delivered to the IDP camps.
During their offensive in southern Shan State, the army burnt down all the houses in La Tue in Pekon Township.
”The soldiers entered the village as the residents fled and set fire to about 40 houses,” a Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) officer told Kantarawaddy Times. Some houses have been burnt to the ground, others are only partially burnt, but all are no longer habitable.
The BA destroyed the homes after KNDF and KNPP’s military wing, Karenni Army, attacked them on Monday 8 November.
The fighting between the resistance groups and BA, which has been going on daily for over a week, has led to the displacement of about 10,000 civilians, while shelling from BA has destroyed many houses.
