[Feature photo: IDPs Build Bunkers in Laiza of Kachin State, Simsa Kasa Multimedia]
In light of the World Refugee Awareness Month and the ongoing military coup in Burma, the U.S. Campaign for Burma would like to raise the voices of refugees and internally displaced persons in the ethnic states. This installment will cover Kachin state, following our installment on Chin state.
Military violence and repressions have long existed in the ethnic states of Burma, including in Kachin. A region with roughly a dozen different languages, these locals are said to be 1 million in population, with up to 90% practicing Christianity. These minorities have been targeted for decades, from religious persecutions and ethnic repressions to Burmanization. In an effort to protect the people, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and its military wing, the Kachin Independent Army (KIA), were formed in 1961. Yet, with continued and amplified violence from the junta, the KIO was cornered into a cease-fire agreement in 1994.
This new consensus, rather than bringing peace and unification, brought military infiltration into the state, allowing the junta to increase army posts, claim farmlands for construction purposes, replace local officials with Burmans, use monetary and work promotions as tradeoffs for religious conversion, and sexually assault civilians, among many other crimes against humanity. Needless to say, even before the ceasefire was breached in 2011 and intense conflicts resumed, the Kachin people were already stripped of their human rights and autonomy. By the end of 2020, there were 104,000 protracted IDPs in Kachin and northern Shan states. And now, the military coup has further paved the road towards devastation.
In January of 2021, the Kachin civil society organizations (CSOs) began the repatriation of refugees back into their villages. Unbeknown to them, further brutal military crackdowns were on the horizon. With protests throughout Burma since the coup, it was not long before ethnic Kachin people joined the movement, giving the military another reason for their already existing brutal oppression in the region. By February 11, the KIO was concerned about the safety of the protestors as the junta forces begin implementing curfews, restricting group meetings, using water cannons, rubber bullets, and live rounds during anti-coup demonstrations. The military only retaliated with violence, attacking the KIA and continuing their crackdowns. The first known arrest of 5 youth activists was reported on February 22 and the first civilian death on February 23rd. By March 11, the KIA destroyed a military camp after peaceful protestors were shot to death by the junta forces, leading to full-blown conflict in the region. Since, the Burma Army shelled villages and fired at civilians, displacing many and even forcing those that have repatriated to return to IDP camps by March 17.
In the following months, conflicts escalated between the KIA and the military as demonstrators continued to be killed on the streets, reporters and activists detained, IDP camps interrogated, and churches raided. In addition, Burma soldiers kidnapped local civilians, even children, to be used as human shields against the KIA, forcefully recruited youths, recalled former soldiers with threats, and planted landmines around the region. Amidst all this, with the military indiscriminately attacking, the local villagers were the ones suffering the consequences. By the end of April, over 2,000 were displaced in Momauk Township alone and 130 more families from N’jang Yang Township, totaling up to 11, 650 IDPs throughout the state. With routes into Myitkyina, Kachin State’s capital city, blocked off by the junta troops, many civilians were forced into monasteries, churches, and remote IDP camps for refuge. Yet, according to Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT), even these temporary shelters were not safe from the military’s shelling and lootings.
[KWAT’s June 2021 full report can be found on USCB’s social media platforms.]
As humanitarian aid becomes scarce, many IDP camps, especially those in remote areas, are in need of clean water, food, shelter, and medicines. One such IDP camp in Bumra Yang is facing multiple diarrheal and worm infections as polluted water and unsanitary toilet systems are being utilized. As it is with most political unrest, it is the innocent civilians that suffer in the midst of the clashes. In remembering June 9th and ten years since war resumed in Kachin State, the international community needs to further sanction the junta and his associates, especially towards reopening aid blockages, push for a global arms embargo, provide cross-border assistance, and recognize the National Unity Government as the legitimate civilian government of Burma. Beyond condemning the junta’s brutality, it is time to hold them accountable for their actions.
For more history on Kachin Refugees, click here to read USCB’s 2020 blog on Kachin State. For updated information on ethnic states, including Kachin, refugees, and IDPs, check out USCB’s Crowd Map and read articles on each state.
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