More Than 1,000 Displaced in Hsipaw

The number of internally displaced people in Hsipaw Township increased to more than 1,000 on Saturday following clashes between the Northern Alliance of ethnic armed groups and the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA).

The two forces clashed in the northern Shan State township on November 2-3, leading locals to take refuge in local monasteries.

They are 652 residents from 228 families living in Wan Ho Ner, Wan Nai Lon, Wan Tong Keng, Tar Lon, Khai Heio village in Ner Makhaw village-tract, and 410 residents from 94 families in Wan Hung village. A total of 1,052 residents from 322 families are now staying in Ner Makhaw monastery.

“Villagers from Wan Hom village arrived at the monastery in this morning. Currently, battles are silent,” Sai Wam Hurng, from Ner Makhaw village, told SHAN, adding that he’d heard soldiers had retreated from the area. “But the situation is not completely safe for returning home. We’ll have to wait and see.”

He added that political parties and social organizations based in Hsipaw have been providing the displaced with food and clothing.

Clashes have occurred between the Northern Alliance and the RCSS/SSA in recent weeks, with more than 2,000 villagers in Namtu and Lashio Township also fleeing. Many have returned home to tend to their crops, but they continue to worry about their survival because of the disruption to their farming.

The Northern Alliance has four member groups: the Arakan Army, the Kachin Independence Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army.