People displaced from Minpalaung Village in Ywangan Township, southern Shan State, sheltering in the forest near to the ruins of their village are suffering from skin diseases caused by severe water shortages.
A junta column raided Minpalaung Village on 22 December 2024 and set the village on fire, burning it to the ground. Villagers fled to the forest near the village where they set up makeshift shelters.
There are about 500 displaced villagers (IDPs) sheltering in the forest. As the summer season begins and the hot weather starts they are experiencing a surge in skin diseases. Children under 10 years of age, the elderly and pregnant women are the most affected, according to aid workers assisting them.
An aid worker assisting the IDPs said to Shan Herald: “Currently, around 200 people, including the elderly, are suffering from skin diseases. The medicines we have are not sufficient to effectively treat the condition. Therefore, we urgently need appropriate medications. At the moment, we are facing an overall shortage of medicines.”
The skin disease, which causes rashes and lesions, is widely believed to be the result of water shortages. There is only limited drinking water and what there is available is unclean.
A displaced child has already died from the skin disease.
The Danu State National Defense Army (DSNDA), which is doing its best to assist the villagers displaced from Minpalaung, called on the public to help by offering donations and food.
An officer from the DSNDA said: “We ask for empathy and assistance for the Minpalaung villagers. They urgently need water-soluble disinfectants. Some displaced individuals have sought shelter with relatives in nearby villages, while most are still living in the forest. They also require food aid.”
Minpalaung Village is about 65 km from downtown Ywangan Town and it is hard to access because the roads going there are in poor condition. The junta has also cut all the telephone and internet lines so villagers must walk for half an hour to a hilltop to access the mobile phone network to make calls or access the internet.
