Local residents in Chaung Hnit Khwa Village, Kyikmayaw Township, Mon State, have been fleeing since November 2023 due to fighting, and they tried to return to the village on February 27 this year, but the junta troops did not allow them to enter the village according to locals.
“Since the fighting is no longer in the village, we tried to come back to the village. But the army did not allow us to return, so all the residents are unable to return to their homes. They don’t let us close even the entrance to the village. They drive us away as soon as we get near the village,” a man from Chaung Hnit Khwa village told MPA.
He continued to explain that they did not know about the reasons why the locals were not allowed to enter the village; the army looted people’s belongings in Chaung Hnit Khwa village and opened fire on those who entered the village in various ways.
“There are about 20 villages fleeing the war, including Chaung Hnit Khwa village, with a population of nearly 30,000, so food is difficult in the IDP camp. That is why those in the camp want to return to their villages if the situation is good. If we can enter the village, we want to go in and pick up the things we need. Now, it’s difficult to live in the camp because the junta troops don’t let us go in,” said a man helping at the IDP camp.
In addition, junta troops have been breaking into houses in nearby villages, including Chaung Hnit Khwa and Taungkalay village in Kyikmayaw Township and are selling them in civilian clothes in Kyikmayaw Town, according to a local.
“I went to buy something a few days ago in the town. It looked like a dressing table from my house, so I knew it was from my house when I touched and looked at it. When I saw soldiers in the area selling it, I found out that it was the soldiers who were selling it,” said a woman from Taungkalay Village, Kyikmayaw Township, who witnessed it.
It was also learned from the people helping IDPs that IDPs need food and medicine in the IDP camps because they cannot return to their homes.