Staff: Bengaluru: Less than a week after Min Aung Hlaing, the current head of the Tatmadaw military junta ruling Burma thanked Moscow for making the military of the south east Asian nation “one of the strongest in the region” the United Nations humanitarian agency has said that almost quarter of a million Burmese now require assistance, having been forcibly displaced in recent fighting.
Burma – also known as Myanmar – has been in turmoil since February 1st when the military deposed and later arrested Aung San Suu Kyi and leading members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) government
Hundreds have been killed in protests and at times all out battles between the Burmese military and civilian militias, something hindering efforts by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in ascertaining just how many people need help – and where.
The OCHA has now said that around 180,000 have been displaced in the state of Kayin in the east of the country on the Thai border, with another 20,000 currently in makeshift camps in Chin State bordering India in the west.
Speaking in the east of Burma, the Karen National Union (KNU), has said in recent days that “The KNU will continue to fight against military dictatorship and provide as much protection as possible to people and unarmed civilians.”
Almost 900 are known to have been killed by the Tatmadaw to date in protests, with over 6,000 currently being held in prisons around the country according to the now banned Association for Political Prisoners.
East Asia Gazette 