Kantarawaddy Times
The chairman of a IDP camp near Saina Kaung Sai village, close to Sibu village in the central Kayan area of southern Shan State, has reported that the Karenni IDPs are facing food shortages due to a lack of donors.
“The main difficulty is with food. There’s no rice. When there are no donors, we need support in all aspects, including nutritional food. Additionally, with frequent illnesses, we need medicine. We also need shelter, especially to protect from the rain. The situation is difficult in every way, and there’s no rice to eat. Some people are working on a day-to-day basis just to buy rice, and in some cases, they’re surviving on cooking porides,” he stated.
In June, the IDP received rice donated by donors, with each person getting only one ‘pyi’ (a traditional Burmese unit of measurement, approximately 2.1 kg) of rice, he said. Due to rising commodity prices, basic food items such as oil, eggs, and dried fish have become unaffordable.
“When prices rise, we can barely manage to get rice. As for things like oil and eggs, we can’t afford them anymore. With no donors and the inability to buy food here, we face significant hardships. We can’t even afford medical expenses, so we’re struggling,” the camp chairman added.
As the conflict prolongs, the Karenni IDPs are experiencing increasing difficulties with basic needs. A female refugee mentioned that the rations received in recent months have been insufficient for the displaced people.
“We’re facing great difficulties in terms of basic needs. Our shelters are old and need renovating, but it’s difficult to build a stronger one. The rice donated by donors is also not sufficient. The rations they give only last a week or two. Since donors are coming less frequently, we’re encountering more and more hardships,” the IDP woman asserted.
The majority of these IDPs fled from Loikaw and Dee Maw Hso townships and are unable to return home, so they’ve been working as day laborers in local villages to survive.
There are currently 230 IDPs sheltering in Saina Kaung Sai village, and they are in need of food, shelter, and medicine.
