Internally displaced people in Hsihseng and Pinlaung Townships in Taunggyi District, Shan State, are in need of more international assistance, according to IDP committees.
More than 8,000 internally displaced people in Hsihseng Township, who have been on the run for more than two years due to the armed conflict on the Shan-Karenni border, need help as they have not received donor aid since May, IDP committees said.
The makeshift shelters built of bamboo in some IDP camps are also deteriorating over time due to the weather, so they need help to rebuild, a committee member told Shan Herald.
“In Hsihseng, we haven’t received food supplies since this month. We have no more donors. This month we are running out of food. Some of them have been living in shelters made of bamboo for a very long time. These shelters are rotting. Some of them were blown away by the recent strong winds. They also need more toilets,” he said.
The IDPs are relying on aid from international organizations, UNHCR and INGOs after previous donors stopped their support.
The IDPs in Hsihseng used to receive international aid, but the delivery of aid is weak due to various difficulties on the ground, he added.
“We receive international aid, but it is not effective enough. The aid is mostly delivered by the locals. There aren’t organizations responsible for international aid in the area. But they are far away. They come from far away and distribute the aid. After they distribute the aid, they leave. They are not very present on the ground,” he added.
Locals reported that transportation has become more difficult as more checkpoints have been established along the Hsihseng-Hopong section of Pyidaungsu Road after the coup.
In addition, about 6,000 IDPs who fled the fighting along the Shan-Karenni border have yet to receive any international assistance, according to another person helping the IDPs.
“The IDPs are relying on the committees here. They need a lot of things. For example, they need a lot of medicine. I want the international donors to donate medicines, mosquito nets and blankets because the rainy season is coming,” the resident said.
According to a 9 April statement by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), more than 1.8 million people have been displaced across Myanmar since the military coup.
Sent by Shan Herald.