Kyaukme IDPs Prevented From Returning Home

Kyaukme IDPs Prevented From Returning Home

By Network Media Group
Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Civilians displaced by the war in Kyaukme Township cannot return home, despite being told to do so by the regime’s soldiers, because Ta’ang soldiers remain in their villages in northern Shan State.

“The Burma Army (BA) wants to close all the internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps in Kyaukme town and force us to return home,” one woman told NMG on condition of anonymity. However, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) has occupied Hu Suan where she’s from, and she also heard that they have looted their houses and taken all of their valuables.

Although fighting with the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) in Hu Suan village tract ended last year, the Ta’ang soldiers have remained in the area, the woman said, and they are collecting taxes and forcibly recruiting new soldiers from the villages. “There is no guarantee of security, so we are afraid to return home. Even if there are no clashes in the area, we are still worried about our security because there’s no stability.”

“Both the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) and the TNLA are active in the area,” said a man who also requested anonymity. Both of the Northern Alliance groups were clashing with the RCSS.

Many of the IDPs are staying at the Shan Literature and Culture Association, while others are staying with relatives in the town. Chairperson Sai Lian Harn told NMG that the army had ordered everyone to return by the end of October. However, after explaining the complications surrounding the return and asking them to ensure their safety, the junta had stopped pressuring the IDPs for the time being, he said.

A total of 186 IDPs from 46 families from Hu Suan, Myine Hseng Ton Heik villages are hosted by the Shan Literature and Culture Association. More than 2,000 civilians in Kyaukme Township are still displaced from last year’s fighting. Some of the displaced have travelled to other towns in search of work to feed their families. In July, about 500 people travelled from northern Shan State to Hopong Township in southern Shan State.