Hardships plague thousands displaced by battles in central Myanmar

Civilians fleeing recent battles in Mandalay Region and northern Shan State are encountering further hardships in the towns of Pyin Oo Lwin and Mandalay where they are seeking refuge, displaced people and local aid groups said. The internally displaced persons (IDPs) are mostly from northern Shan State, where the ethnic armed groups of the Brotherhood Alliance recently relaunched an offensive campaign against the military, and from Mandalay Region’s Madaya and Singu townships, where the Mandalay People’s Defence Forces (MDY-PDF) have initiated their own attacks in coordination with that offensive. A woman assisting IDPs in Madaya Township said scarce shelter, high prices, high home rental rates, and the extortionate bribes solicited by junta authorities have all posed challenges for the displaced civilians. "Monasteries were forced to take in more IDPs than they could accommodate, then had to stop admitting them," the aid worker said. "People are fleeing in droves every day, and there are simply not enough available places to shelter. When they try to rent a house, prices are exorbitant. It’s extremely hard for them.” Since last year, the towns of Mandalay and Pyin Oo Lwin, Mandalay Region in central Myanmar have become a common destination for IDPs from various areas of the country, chiefly the war-torn Sagaing Region. The IDPs from Sagaing Region have faced similar hardships themselves. Overcrowding, scarcity, extortion, and fear While IDPs from Sagaing Region and from Mandalay Region’s Madaya, Singu, Mogok, Thabeikkyin and Takaung townships have usually fled to Mandalay, those from northern Shan State have mostly fled to Pyin Oo Lwin, a town located in the hills some 40 miles east of Mandalay and less than 10 miles west of the border with northern Shan State. Unable to afford rent and food, the IDPs have stayed with relatives, sought refuge in overcrowded religious buildings or overflowing displaced people’s camps, and even tried to make their own shelters in the woods. IDPs fleeing Madaya Township seen on July 5. (Photo – IDPs Support Group) A woman from Madaya Township’s Mway Ta Laing village described the conditions she and her family were trying to survive. “We had our home burned down twice in a year. After the first time, I didn’t think they would destroy my house again, so I built another one, then it did happen again. Now I stay in an IDP camp in the forest,” she said. “When the army came, we had to flee. When there’s fighting, we have to run. When it quiets down, we just go back to the village. We have no other option. With children, we are up against so many challenges,” she added. Another IDP who had fled to Pyin Oo Lwin described the obstacles he and others had faced while trying to escape the combat zones in northern Shan State. There were frequent inspections at junta checkpoints, he said, with junta personnel blocking access to the town and demanding bribes. "At the town entry gates, they subject people and their vehicles to thorough inspections. If our documentation is incomplete, they extort money from us. The Pyin Oo Lwin checkpoints are the worst,” he said. “They demand 300,000 kyat if you don’t have a license, and more money for lacking a National Identification Card. The situation is dire," he added. “People coming from Mogok to Gate-148 have been denied entry and told they are only allowed to exit through that gate,” he continued. “The same thing happens at other town gates, where people have no option but to pass through into the town.” A resident of Mandalay in his 30s said the plight of IDPs in Mandalay Township's monasteries was desperate, with the need for humanitarian assistance growing more urgent by the day. “Some could not carry anything with them. They fled with just the clothes on their backs. They need help, including food assistance,” he said. A scene from the west side of Mogok, Mandalay Region on July 5, after the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and its allies took control (Photo – TNLA Information Department) Another woman had found a place to rent in Pyin Oo Lwin after fleeing from Nawnghkio, northern Shan State, but said she was still living in fear every day. “I feel afraid. Every day is filled with anxiety because of the constant threats of IDP checks,” she said. “They gave orders that supporters of the anti-junta forces have to be kept from entering the town, so the ward administrators are summoning us all the time to ask questions.” “It’s not just one problem or two. We are on the edge,” she said. “The stress is so intense that it's difficult to sleep at night. I just wish things would settle down as soon as possible.” Resistance forces struggle to provide aid Amid the ongoing conflict, as many as 10,000 people have fled their homes in Madaya Township and thousands more have fled northern Shan State, according to a member of the Pyin Oo Lwin Township People's Defense Organization (PDO), which is assisting IDPs. “Even in the small IDP camp that we co-run, there are over 1,300 displaced people,” the resistance member said, referring to the camp that his group maintains in cooperation with resistance administrators. PDOs operate under the command of the publicly mandated National Unity Government, a cabinet formed and endorsed by ousted civilian officials in the wake of Myanmar’s 2021 coup.“They were from just two or three villages. There are many other IDP camps. The estimated total number of IDPs is around 10,000, including those staying in the cities and towns,” the Pyin Oo Lwin PDO member said. “It's quite difficult. We don’t have enough food. There are too many people, and food is scarce,” said a member of another PDO based in Madaya Township. “The rainy season has come, so we also have to worry about dengue fever now. The most vulnerable IDPs are in Pyin Oo Lwin and Madaya, and Madaya residents are in the most trouble.” Mandalay PDF (MDY-PDF) troops capture Yae Nant Thar Village police station in Madaya Township on July 4 (Photo: MDY-PDF) Pyin Oo Lwin serves as a transport hub as well as being home to some of the country’s premier officer training facilities, such as the Defence Services Academy (DSA) founded in 1954. Thus far, both Pyin Oo Lwin and Mandalay have been largely sheltered from the violence that has spread throughout the country since the military seized power more than three years ago, and have become prime destinations for many of those hoping to escape it. Nonetheless, a Mandalay resident said he was concerned that security is under threat even in these two towns, and that there is now a risk of violence breaking out with no warning. "The situation is such that conflicts could erupt at these two towns any time. We are in a desperate position where we may need to flee at any moment, so we cannot help each other,” he said. Since late June, the MDY-PDF has been attacking and taking over junta base camps in Madaya and Singu townships directly north of Mandalay, forcing residents to flee as the fighting intensified. Singu residents, blocked from fleeing to Mandalay by ongoing battles in Madaya Township, have instead been forced to cross to the west bank of Ayeyarwady River and seek shelter in Sagaing Region.

Hardships plague thousands displaced by battles in central Myanmar

Forced to flee their homes by escalating clashes in northern Shan State and Mandalay Region, civilians have faced extortion by junta authorities and struggled to find food and shelter in the central Myanmar towns where they have fled for safety

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