Church groups deliver medicine to refugee camps along China border

On July 8, Kachin Baptist and Roman Catholic church groups visited an IDP camp around Laiza, the civilian capital of KIO in eastern Kachin state.

LAIZA, BURMA— Baptist and Roman Catholic church groups in Kachin state's Bhamo township joined together to send malaria and diarrhea drugs to internally displaced people's camps located on the China-Kachin border earlier this week.

On Monday a four wheel drive jeep carrying medicine embarked on a relief trip to distribute medicine to camps located in both government controlled and Kachin Independence Organization controlled areas. The medicine is badly needed right now due to an increase in illness brought on by the rainy season, said Baptist pastor Tu Ja, one of the convoy organizers.

The camps in the government controlled areas that received the aid are located in Loije and nearby Nyaung Napyin. N’hkawng Pa, Hpunglum Yang, Woi Chyai are the camps in KIO-controlled areas that received the medicine.

The convoy organizers say they will continue to make further medical aid trips in future.

“We can see that the political tensions will last for some time. And we will keep supporting the IDP. We also plan to plan to support IDP schools,” said Pastor Tu Ja.

Father Sumlut Gam, from the Catholic church led a group of religious leaders who visited camps in the Laiza, area on Monday. His group also met with IDP students based in Alen Bum, the former military headquarters of the KIO's military-wing the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

Following a month long delay, both the middle and high schools in Alen Bum started classes on Wednesday, according to Hkawng Lum, the school headmaster.

The more than 45,000 refugees living in camps in KIO controlled territory along the China border rely on regular food and medical aid from church groups and other local non-governmental organizations. UN agencies and international NGO's have had very little access to these camps since the Kachin conflict resumed in June 2011.

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