4000 Displaced People Receive Urgent Assistance in Kayin State

Mizzima | September 23, 2016

In response to displacements following recent armed clashes in Kayin State, around 4000 people who took refuge in Myaing Gyi Ngu have received urgent assistance from the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) together with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), supplementing the timely and generous support already provided by the monasteries, authorities and civil society, ICRC said in a statement on 22 September.

Armed clashes intensified in that region the first weeks of September which prompted the displacement of around 4,000 people from 22 villages to the town of Myaing Gyui Ngu, situated 2 hours north of Hpa An town. Displaced people took refuge in two monasteries. “These camps are well organized. People receive donations, food and water from host communities, local organizations and the authorities. To complement the initial response, we have decided to support them as well”, said Khun Kyaw Win, G1 of the MRCS in Kayin.

The MRCS after an assessment last Saturday together with the ICRC has just distributed this weekend over 300 dignity kits (clothes and hygiene products for women), water purifiers, LED lamps, mosquito repellent coils and oral rehydration salt. “Hygiene is the main issue. More latrines are needed and people should be protected from mosquitos”, said See Lwin, field officer in charge of ICRC office in Hpa An. “In addition to this, displaced people are very much concerned by their fields and cattle left behind”.

The ICRC and the MRCS are distributing 1000 mosquito nets (one per family), additional supplies such as over 800 dignity kits, 50 garbage bins to support waste management in the camps, 200 sleeping mats. A dozen Red Cross volunteers are on the spot to participate to the relief operations and are involved with the Township Health Department for health care, hygiene promotion and camp management with local authorities, for instance maintaining a clean environment and cooking.

The Myanmar Red Cross has a branch in Hpa-An and the ICRC, whose mission consists of helping those affected by armed conflict, has been present in Kayin State since 2000, where it mainly supports a MRCS physical rehabilitation centre.