The Pa-O National Organization/Pa-O National Army (PNO/PNA) is pressuring displaced people sheltering in Nawng Pa Yin village, Hsihseng Township, Pa-O Self-Administered Zone of southern Shan State, to return to their homes, according to local sources.
A displaced person from Taung Poet Kwe village, now sheltering in Nawng Pa Yin, said: “They [PNA] told us fighting will soon break out in Hsihseng too. We explained that the fighting is still ongoing in our village. For now, we can still stay here, right? But they won’t accept that. Many people have already left.”
Displaced people report that they are being pressured to return home because Nawng Pa Yin village is deemed unsuitable for them to stay. Currently, about 800 displaced people are facing difficulties finding another place to flee to.
The PNO ordered them to return home on 20 June. Those currently sheltering in Nawng Pa Yin village are people who fled clashes in Hsawng Pyaung, Lin Hkan, Ho Waing villages in Pinlaung Township and Loi Paw village in Pekon Township on the eastern bank of Pekon Lake, and Taung Poet Kwe village in Nyaung Shwe Township.
These displaced people have been in Nawng Pa Yin since around 12 June but say returning to their areas is not yet possible.
As a result, they are seeking refuge in Hmaw Bi village in Nyaung Shwe Township and nearby forested areas, they reported.
A displaced person from Loi Paw village, now in Nawng Pa Yin, said: “We’ve had to flee multiple times, so having to move again is really difficult. It costs a lot of money. Right now, we don’t even know if our homes are still standing. There’s no one left in our village. They tell us to stay, so we stay. They tell us to go back, so we go back. Those with relatives have moved to Hsihseng town.”
Around 15 June, the PNO militia also restricted the displaced in Nawng Pa Yin from moving outside the village, according to the displaced people.
Similarly, between 6 and 15 June 6, the PNO militia reportedly drove out over 6,000 displaced persons sheltering in Nawng Kyaw and Taung Shey villages in Hsihseng Township, according to officials from an IDP aid group.
Sent by NMG.