Some camps in KIO-controlled area face food shortages

There are 10  internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps in KIO controlled territory, with nearly 82,000 people living in them, according to Dwe Pe Hsar, chairman of Refugees Relief Committee which is based in Laiza Township, Kachin State.

“The main problem is food shortage because there is no place to earn a living. We now expect help from other assistance providers.”

Dwe Pe Hsar noted that aside from food shortage, camp residents suffer from poor accommodations, poor health and lack of access to education.

He added that shelters, built in md-2011, are now damaged as a result of fighting between the Kachin Independence Army and the union government as well as heavy rain.

People in the camps say the situation is dire.

“In the past, rice, edible oil, bean and pulses were provided. Now, rice supplies can last only one month. Currently, we have rice, but I can’t find curry to eat with it. My husband left home to seek a new job over a year ago and I haven’t heard from him since. I have five children. It is impossible to work as I have no one else to take care of my children,” said Ma Rai Hsan from La Gar Yan region.

Dwe Pe Hsar said that local non- governmental organisations (NGOs) are now responsible for distributing items provided by outsiders.

 “Donors at home and aboard provide us with food, clothes and other goods, but the amount is not sufficient,” he said.

At present, some IDPs from Jay Yan and Phon Lon Yan camps near Laiza Township are now working at Chinese-owned farms for cash. The camps are near the Myanmar-China border. Some workers have said wages paid to Kachin workers are less than those paid to their Chinese co-workers. “If they give 50 yuan to Chinese workers, we’ll get only 30 yuan. But it’s not easy to find other jobs,” said  Daungain from Jay Yan refugee camp.

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