Kantarawaddy Times
Due to ongoing drone surveillance by the military junta, IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) at a camp along the Thai-Karenni border are living with fear, regardless of the time—day or night—according to camp residents. They say they feel unsafe.
Since the second week of October, drones have been spotted by the camp at 7 PM and 5 AM, along with fighter jets and scout planes, according to a camp administrator.
“Over the past couple of weeks, the drones have shown up around 7 PM. They come close to the camp, with their lights on, but once they arrive over the houses, the lights go off. You can spot them at different places. After circling the camp, we notice their lights again when they leave. This happened for three or four consecutive days. In the mornings, around 5:30 or 6 AM, the drones come early again,” said the administrator.
A female IDP expressed concerns that the drones and planes flying overhead frequently might lead to another airstrike, as happened last year.
“We’re worried they’ll strike again like they did last year. It’s always on our minds but it is just a fate whether to live or die. If it’s our time, we die; if not, we survive. That’s what we (elderly people) often think,” she said.
In 2023, the military junta conducted airstrikes on this IDP camp, destroying homes and schools. IDPs had to flee once again. Although they have now regrouped and resettled, the sound of drones and planes still causes anxiety, according to the camp administrator.
“When the drones hadn’t come for a while, people began to relax, thinking they were gone. But after seeing them for three or four days straight, people became very anxious. Some even mistook a drone for a motorbike passing by at night and ran in panic, thinking it was a plane. When they hear a sudden sound, like water splashing into a tank, they think it’s a plane and start running. The elderly are particularly frightened,” he added.
The camp is home to over 450 households and a total of 2,779 people. As the displacement continues, food shortages are still an issue, and there’s also a need for more space to accommodate the increasing number of IDPs.
