Fresh military tensions force villagers to flee Hpakant

Hundreds of villagers in Kachin State's jade rich Hpakant district have fled their homes since December 13th because of a serious rise in tensions between the army and units from the Kachin Independence Organization's (KIO) similarly named armed wing based in the area, local residents tell the Kachin News Group.

An aid work responsible for an internally displaced person (IDPs) camp located in a Catholic church compound in Nam Hpyit village told the Kachin News Group that about 50 villagers have been taking shelter in their camp since December 15 and 16. The newly arrived IDP in his camp are running low on food because the NGO's and UN agencies that previously provided aid to the camp are no longer doing so.

“They came back here after fleeing through the forest without money, clothes or anything. It is a very difficult situation right now, in the past UNHCR, WFP and Karuna provided basic needs like rice,” he said.

Other villagers are still stuck in the village and fear being targeted if they flee their homes. They have requested that officials from the Catholic church IDP camp help them evacuate the area.

Burma government soldiers from division 66 have ordered residents not to go outside their village. They have also barred others from entering the village. Military tensions between government forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) have increased significantly in the area since December 13 creating a situation that has left many of the local people living in and around Nam Hpyit village fearing for their lives, residents of Hpakant tell the Kachin News Group.

The newest IDPs to flee their homes are a group of more 100 people from Ga Ra Yang village, some 3 miles away from Nam Hpyit camp.

The Burma army has deployed more troops and heavy weapons in the Hpakant area since the jade mines officially reopened in September some two years after most jade mining was officially suspended in Hpakant. The latest displacement of people is the second time in three months that large numbers of residents have fled from villages in Hpakant.