Locals who have returned from displacement in Mese area east of the Salween River in Karenni (Kayah) State are facing livelihood challenges due to the increasingly restricted flow of goods and rising commodity prices, according to local sources.
The returning locals are those who fled to the nearby Thai border due to the fighting in the second week of June 2023. These displaced people have been returning home since September last year.
One displaced local said: “The situation is very difficult after we returned home from the displacement. Normally we earn our living from farming. But last year we had to flee in the middle of the rainy season, so we couldn’t grow anything. The crops we had planted were overgrown with weeds because we couldn’t clear them. Some were destroyed by animals. We couldn’t save anything. We had no savings either, so we were left with nothing”
After the battle in Mese, the movement of goods in the region has become more difficult and the prices of goods have risen exponentially, said a housewife.
“The road is long and bumpy. There are car breakdowns and spoiled goods on the way. So when the prices in Loikaw and Demoso go up, the prices here go up three or four times,” she said.
Although the locals in Mese have returned to their homes, locals say they lack steady work to make a living.
In addition, locals say they can no longer farm due to the ongoing fighting in the area.
“About two-thirds of the local population have no capital, so they are unable to make a living,” said one displaced woman about the economic situation of the locals.
Currently, the locals do odd jobs and look for and sell seasonal crops to cope with their immediate living situation.
Before the fighting in Karenni State (in the pre-coup period), Mese Township was an area that mainly imported food from Loikaw area and a small amount of consumer goods from Thailand.
However, due to the ongoing fighting throughout the state, it is now difficult to get food and goods into the Mese area. Locals say that the movement of goods has even come to a standstill due to the transportation situation.
Sent by NMG.