War-stricken civilians relocated from one displaced camp to another after fighting and abductions by troops from the State Administration Council (SAC) forced them to leave, even though their new site lacks basic amenities.
A man mentioned that there were “many problems” at the new camp in Aung Myay (1).
*There are two villages with the same name.
He said the buildings are too small and there’s no space to sleep after he put his belongings inside the shelter. Furthermore, the kitchen hasn’t been completed, and it’s not a separate building. “It’s a long building with small rooms. I think the rooms are 12′ x 8′.”
When the Security and Border Affairs minister for Kachin State ordered the villagers, who are originally from Namsan Yang, to move from the KBC church in Kazu, not everyone went to the uncompleted camp in Aung Myay. However, after the fighting with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) increased in the area and SAC troops kidnapped eight men to be used as human shields in late September, they changed their minds. Five vehicles recently transported the 50 villagers from 20 families to the new site.
Since July, SAC has launched offensives against the KIA around Namsan Yang, next to the Bhamo – Myitkyina road and close to the Kachin group’s Laiza headquarters. Although the regime has failed to gain control of the area, it has poured troops into the region. Fierce battles with the Kachin soldiers have forced civilians to seek refuge in Waingmaw, where Kazu and Aung Myay are located, and in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State.
In Kazu, the regime’s soldiers released the eight men they had abducted on the same day, but only after intervention by KBC and camp leaders. During their time in captivity, one of the victims was injured by a landmine.
