Farmers in the villages and fields along the Gyaing River area between Mon and Karen States are finding it difficult to start growing monsoon paddy due to widespread unexploded ordnance (UXO) resulting from heavy fighting in the region, according to local sources.
The junta troops have not only cleared the ordinance but also restricted the movement of civilians between villages, making farmers hesitant to start planting, said a woman from Ta Ra Nar village.
“After finding unexploded shells, we are hesitant to go to the fields. The soldiers have not cleared them. When we called them, they said the shells don’t belong to them. We won’t be cultivating our fields this year either. Last month they forbade us to go to the fields. We could only grow enough for next year’s consumption in the fields without unexploded shells,” said the woman.
In villages such as Dhamma Tha, Than Ka Laung, Kyun Kone Paing and Ta Ra Nar along the Gyaing River, farmers therefore only plant crops for their own consumption during the monsoon season.
In addition, a resident of Dhamma Tha village said that they have to pay fees to the junta soldiers if they want them to remove unexploded ordnance from their villages, houses and compounds.
“There are shells in houses and yards. They only come to remove them if we pay them fees. There are even unexploded ordinance left behind. Some households have to clear the area themselves,” said the resident.
Although the junta soldiers currently stationed in the villages and monasteries claim that they will withdraw so that the displaced civilians can return home safely, locals report that the troops are still occupying and interrogating people in the area.
According to the locals, the military junta’s troops have given neither security guarantees nor reconstruction assistance to the returnees. They are also refusing to clear the unexploded ordnance, claiming it does not belong to them.
In Kyaikmaraw Township, which borders Karen State, farmers used to grow both summer and monsoon paddy. However, due to the armed conflict and the lack of security, they expect that the rice harvest in the monsoon season will only be sufficient for consumption.
Sent by IMNA.