Resettlement in Kachin top priority
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Demining, resettlement and building new towns are the priorities for conflict-scarred Kachin State, according to officials at the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement.
They said the government had agreed to rapidly implement development plans to ensure the viability of the peace deal it reached with the Kachin Indedendence Organisation and its armed wing, the Kachin Independence Army, on February 4.
“We are going to help families reunite. Next, we are going to build new satellite towns. Furthermore, cash will be lent so they can make a living,” said one official who asked not to be named.
Landmine clearance is a top priority and it will be carried out with assistance from international development agencies and foreign donors, officials said. Resettlement will begin as soon as peace is restored, they said.
New towns will be built for those who do not want to return to their hometowns and loans will be provided for them to invest in farms or micro-businesses, officials said.
As many as 160,000 people have been displaced by fighting in the state since it broke out in June 2011. The main refugee camps are in Myitkyina, Waingmaw, Bahmo and Moemauk townships.
