Delay in permits behind Kachin aid convoy halt says UN

Kachin refugees in Laiza, the de facto capital of KIO in Kachin state, northern Burma

Due to the refusal by Burma government authorities to grant the necessary permits United Nations (UN) convoys have not been able to deliver aid to Kachin refugees in northern Shan and Kachin States for the past two months, says the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in a statement released December 16th.

A UN convoy that was scheduled to bring aid to the KIO's de facto capital Laiza on December 3rd was not allowed to proceed because the government blocked it, according to Doi Pyi Sa head of the KIO's Refugee Relief Committee.

Government authorities have cited clashes between the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) forces and the army as the reason that permission has not been granted. Many Kachin do not however agree with this claim.

“Negotiations continue between the UN and the Kachin State government, but still not reach an agreement. We are trying to send aid as soon as possible and the last round was on September. Emergency needs are warm clothes, household kits and rations,” said Aye Win the UN's chief spokesperson in Burma.

The UN wants to send warm clothes and blankets for the more than 12,000 children living in displacement camps in and around Laiza KIO's defacto capital. Since the end of September no such UN convoys have been allowed to reach the KIO area. Doi Pyi Sa tells the Kachin News Group that local NGO's have stepped in to fill the gap but things are expected to get worse very quickly if aid is not allowed to get through. “Right now there is not much trouble because of help from local NGOs even without support from the UN. But the halt will become a big problem,” he said.

Some of the local NGOs that are straining to fill the gap are Wunpawng Ninghtoi (WNP), Metta Foundation, Karuna Foundation and the relief department of the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC).