An interview with a displaced resident of Ma Au Pin village, which was burned down by military junta troops and militias.
Ma Au Pin village on the road to Hpakant in the upper part of Kamaing town in Kachin State, where most of the residents are Kachin people, was raided and burned down by a large number of junta troops and militiamen on 7 February, destroying almost half of the village.
The Ma Au Pin village consists of two parts, in which different ethnic groups, including Kachin and Gurkhas, live. According to locals, around 20 houses were burnt down in the Kachin-majority part.
This incident was the second time a village in Kachin State was burnt down since the coup. The first incident occurred in August 2022, when the village of Se Zin in Hpakant Township was burned down.
The military council forces set fire to Ma Au Pin village without any ground fighting in the surrounding areas of Kamaing. The arson attack forced more than 180 residents of Ma Au Pin to seek shelter in religious buildings in Gahtan Yang and Loi Seng villages.
KNG conducted this interview with a displaced resident of Ma Au Pin village, who is currently seeking refuge in the Catholic church in Loi Seng village, to learn more about the difficulties faced by the displaced residents of the village who have been left homeless by the arson attack.
Q: We heard that you had to flee after your houses were set on fire. Please tell us about the current situation.
A: At the moment we are staying in Gahtan Yang and Loi Seng villages. Some are staying in their respective churches. The Catholics are staying in Loi Seng village. As there are too many people in KBC, some are staying in Gahtan Yang.
Q: What difficulties are you facing now that you have been displaced for about a week? Are you getting any help?
A: We are not in urgent need of rice yet, but we are in urgent need of medicine. As we live in the same place, more and more people are getting sick. We also need clothes and mosquito nets. There are clinics here, but they don’t have medical supplies. So if possible, we want help with medicines and clothes.
Q: Do you have any inconvenience staying in your current place? How are you staying?
A: As you know, we have all fled with only clothes on our backs. We are housed in the church hall, as it is. Families also live there, so it’s not convenient. The people in charge said they would expand the space, but financially it’s difficult.
Q: What are the plans of the displaced Ma Au Pin residents for their livelihood? Do you intend to return to their homes and rebuild them? What do you plan to do next?
A: We have had some discussions with those in charge about the situation. As we have lost our houses, we can’t return to our village for the time being. Therefore, as agreed by everyone, we will continue to stay here as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
Q: Does this mean that you plan to stay in an IDP camp without returning home? If you plan to do that, where will you live?
A: After consulting with those in charge of the IDPs and elders here, we can’t return home yet under these circumstances. There is a plot of land in Gahtan Yang that the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) designated three years ago for a drug eradication center. At the moment, we are planning to build temporary shelter and stay there until we can return home.
Q: When can you start moving to the new location?
A: We can’t start yet. We have to apply for permission from the authorities. We don’t know how long it will take to get an answer. Even if permission is granted, we still have to start building. So it will probably take about two months.
Q: Why have the displaced residents of Ma Au Pin village, who lost their homes in the fire, decided to stay in IDP camps?
A: No one dares to return under these circumstances. Even those who live in the part where their houses were not set on fire have fled to this side. It is no longer safe to return. With the military council camp in Kamaing and Namya, no one can guarantee that the fighting will not continue. If the fighting flares up again, we will have to flee again, just like now. So it’s better to stay here temporarily.
Q: Why do you think Ma Au Pin village was burned down even though there was no fighting at the time?
A: It was mainly because of the frequent entry of KIA soldiers into the village. I assume they were just doing their job. They burned down the village because they had heard that KIA soldiers were present near Ma Au Pin village. They probably burned down the village because the KIA had taken military positions during the fighting along the Hpakant road and there were casualties on their side.
Q: Are there still people in Ma Au Pin village? Was the whole village burned down?
A: There are about 40 houses in Ma Au Pin. The village has two wards. Only Kachin live in one ward and non-Kachin live in the part near the dam. The part that was set on fire is the Kachin ward. There are about 20 houses left in the ward near the dam. Some have even fled to this side out of fear.
Q: Where exactly is Ma Au Pin village on the Hpakant road?
A: It is about six miles from Kamaing. It is at the crossroads from where you can reach Gahtan Yang and Loi Seng villages where we are currently seeking refuge. The village is administratively Myoma ward of Kamaing.
Q: What would you like to add? Do you have any messages for the people?
A: Wherever there is the military that oppresses the civilian population and targets them as the enemy, there will only be fear. There is no security for people living in rural areas – this is a well-known fact. There is no guarantee for our lives. I would therefore urge everyone to be vigilant from now on.
Sent by KNG.