International Donors To Stop Food Rations for Displaced Karen

Karen News on Vimeo | June 24, 2016

Ei Tu Hta is a camp for Karen people displaced by Burma Army attacks in 2006. Today, 10 years later, residents are concerned and worried about their futures as international food donors have said they will stop funding the camp from 2017. This has forced many of the camp residents, unable to fend for themselves off the poor farming land on the surrounding mountains to consider moving back to land that is land mined and occupied by the Burma Army.

Saw Lah Pwe Moo
Ei Tu Hta camp’s secretary

“We would like to ask the international countries to put pressure on the Burmese government’s military to leave from our areas. If the Burmese military stayed away from our areas, our Karen people would return to our places and earn our living in freedom and in peace. And we would no longer need the free contribution of food – we can depend on ourselves for our living.”

Saw Kler Paw
Ei Tu Hta camp, head of Section 1

“We live here and what worried us is the coming year, 2017 in September because the free contribution of food will end. If the contribution of rations stopped then we will have to return to our areas and work for our livelihood. The

[current peace] situation over there hasn’t confirmed anything yet, so it is not the right time to return and if we did return, it will be difficult for us to earn a living there.

Ei Tu Ta camp receives only rice and salt. Every month, each adult gets 12 kilos of rice and 0.15 kilo of salts. For each child, under five years, they get six kilos of rice and 0.05 kilo of salts a month. The assistance comes through the Karen Office of Relief and Development (KORD).

Ei Tu Hta refugees expect the Karen leaders would take an actions to arrange and manage the going home process, if we have to return to our [old] places. We don’t want the Burmese government to organize the process.

Naw Eh Six Htoo
Karen Women’s Organization secretary of the camp

“We need the Karen leaders to carry on and manage the [resettlement] process, for we never trust the Burmese government. We have never seen the Burmese government doing anything for us, and they never do what they had say they will do.”

Naw Kay Paw
Ei tu Hta camp resident,

“Its seems the peace negotiations in the country are good. We asked them to reduce the Burmese military in our areas and for them to return to their land, but instead of reducing and returning to their land, they brought in more military to our land. They have reinforced their camps and brought in more rations and arms to our land. Seeing this makes us dissatisfied. The new government must reduce their military in our land, and should not bring in more ammunition. They should return the military to their own territory. If that happened the villagers would go back to their homeland.

If refugees from Ei Tu Hta are returned home, they need secure shelter, no more Burmese military should be located close to their villages or their workplace. In the meantime, there should be a temporary program that will support the displaced villagers in order for them to depend on themselves and stand on their own legs. That program arrangement should be managed and organized by Karen leaders and the Karen Community only.

Ei Tu Hta (IDP) camp is located in Mutraw district, on the banks of the Salween River, its total population is 3,352 people living in 475 houses. Ei Tu Hta IDP camp was setup in 2006 when the Burmese Government military in the Nay Pyi Daw area, occupied the Karen National Union areas, including the Taw Oo district (Brigade 2) and Klerlweehtu district (Brigade 3). The displaced people of Ei Tu Hta are from Taw Oo district, Klerlweehtu District and Mutraw District.

See this video was published on Karen News Vimeo channel on June 24, 206.