War and Refugees in Northern and Eastern Burma (Kachin and Karen States), An Update
Hkun Nawng
From: Gerhard Baumgard [mailto:gerhard...@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, 04 January, 2012 17:20
Subject: Refugee Crisis: Kachin Refugees in Government Controlled Areas & KIO-controlled areas. Updated Numbers 24.12.2011
Dear All
Last week we visited Myitkyina and Waimaw in Kachin State (Myanmar). All the Church compounds overflow with refugees from the area of fighting between the government troops and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA/KIO). The plight and suffering of the refugees is immense; many are stuck in temporary and tarpaulin shelters for 6 months already. Up to 35% of the refugees are children under the age of 12; children and adults are traumatized from the fighting and destruction of their villages; the adults have nothing to do and long for the return to their home places.
Despite the order of President Thein Sein to stop the fighting, the Burmese army continues to assault military and civilian targets unabated. Reinforcements from Hpa-An, Pyi and Chin State have been transferred to Kachin State and the fighting leaves villages burnt and harvests destroyed. Since Wednesday December 28, 2011 Myitkyina is without electricity as the fighting towards the Chinese border took out some electricity lines.
In Myitkyina and Waimaw alone there are 7,799 refugees (or in legal terms: internally displaced persons (IDPs)) and in the government-controlled areas of Kachin State it is a total 15,067 refugees. In the KIO-controlled areas the numbers runs up to 45,132 (!) victims who have run away from the fighting to safer areas (number per December 24, 2011).
In Myitkyina and Waimaw UNHCR, UN OCHA and WFP provide some help but in the other areas, such as Bamaw and the KIO-areas along the Chinese border, the support depends largely on the Christian and other local organizations.
Little is known outside of the Kachin State about the true magnitude of this humanitarian disaster (60,000 refugees) as even UN OCHA does not distribute its reports widely.
Please distribute the numbers and reports as widely as you can. The visit of the British Foreign Secretary in Burma should give amble opportunity for the press to report on the plight of their former WWII-allies if they are provided with the proper information and data.
Unfortunately, the slow speed of the internet in Myanmar doesn’t allow to send photos. However, if you need more information, data or photos please do not hesitate to contact me, we will try our best. My contact numbers are below.
Best regards
Dr. Gerhard Baumgard
People In Need - Gerhard Baumgard Stiftung
9, Inya Road, Kamaryut Tsp.
Yangon, Myanmar
Tel. +95 1 525001
Mobile: +95 9 43197430
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(www.dictatorwatch.org)
Contact: Roland Watson, rol...@dictatorwatch.org
KAREN PRIDE AND UNITY
January 4, 2012
Please forward.
Please watch the following ten minute video, Karen Pride and Unity, from
Scorpion Film Productions. It shows a side of Burma, the military
dictatorship’s civil war and crimes against humanity against the country’s
ethnic minorities, which the International Community, foreign media,
international businesspeople, and the National League for Democracy, would
prefer to ignore. Warning: The images in the latter part of the
documentary are disturbing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPRO2vVdtFM