Residents of Kan Ni village and nearby villages in Kawkareik Township, Karen State, have returned to their homes after nearly a month of displacement, according to those assisting the displaced.
An official from the Mon Relief and Development Department stated that most of the displaced people from Kan Ni Village, along with other IDPs, have now returned to their homes after taking shelter at Ywar Thit Monastery in Mawlamyine.
“The IDPs from Tha Yet Taw, Kan Ni, and Kawtpalaing have returned home. All the people from Min Ywar have returned home. There are about 200 IDPs left in Mawlamyine. Around 700 to 800 people have returned home. In Mawlamyine, about half of the IDPs have returned home. Some locals are waiting to see whether the situation is stable or not,” said an official of the Mon Relief and Development Department.
The New Mon State Party’s IDP Support Team also reported that food assistance was provided to residents of Kan Ni and Tha Yet Taw villages in Kawkareik Township in the past few days.
In addition, an official from the Mon Relief and Development Department stated that the association has to seek permission from the military council stationed in Taranar village to pass through it in order to provide food and assistance to the returning locals.
“The military junta said the associations must seek permission. If we go as a group, we can carry goods like the trucks that merchants use to transport them. Junta soldiers are present in Taranar and Kalagon. Resistance forces are stationed in Kan Ni. The transport of goods is not allowed, and inspections have been tightened. The people are not allowed to carry large tonnes of rice bags and goods,” the official said.
According to a local source, clashes are ongoing in the Kyondoe-Kawkareik area. Despite having limited ground troop strength, the military council is actively conducting operations with artillery shelling, and airstrikes, using reconnaissance drones.
Thousands of villagers from about 40 villages were forced to flee to Mawlamyine, Hpa-An and Myawaddy due to the military council’s bombings between 14 and 18 April.
On the other hand, in the Kawkareik-Kyondoe region, where military tensions are escalating daily, schools under the military council are accepting school enrollments and are forcing schools to reopen, according to locals in Kyondoe.
Sent by IMNA