Eighty percent of the local residents of Mindat Township in Chin State, have fled their homes, and most of them fled in June, according to the Mindat Township IDP Management Committee.
About 35,000 people live in downtown Mindat. Only about 20 percent of them remain in the town, and the remaining 80 percent have fled to different areas, said Ko Laurence of the committee.
“About 20 percent still live in Mindat town. The elderly people and those facing difficulty fleeing have chosen to stay. Some are staying in the hope that they can cope with the situation as best as possible. The cost of transportation to leave Mindat is prohibitively high,” said Ko Laurence.
In recent months, the majority of residents from the town have been displaced due to the ongoing fighting in Mindat.
The intense airstrikes have displaced all the people not only from downtown Mindat but also from the villages from Mile-3 and around seven villages including Panawt village.
Locals from downtown Mindat and nearby villages are taking shelters in other villages and forests within the township by building temporary huts. Some locals have fled to Magway, Yangon and Mandalay Regions, according to those helping the IDPs and locals.
Now, lcoals from Matupi town have arrived in Mindat Township due to the fighting, said Ko Laurence.
As of March, over three years since the coup, approximately 10,500 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been documented in Mindat Township. Due to transportation difficulties, lists of IDPs for April, May, and June are currently being compiled.
House and temporary shelters are not sufficient for IDPs during this rainy seaon. The IDPs are in urgent need of tarpulins and basic rations.
The Mindat Township People’s Administration has warned IDPs in the villages within Mindat Township can seek assistance from ward/village officials and IDP officials if needed.
Sent by KMG