Over 1,000 refugees reportedly stranded during Kachin State operations

08 June 2017
Over 1,000 refugees reportedly stranded during Kachin State operations
Photo: Hkun Awng Nlam/Facebook

Over 1,000 people were reportedly stranded on the way to Tanai in Kachin State after the Myanmar Army ordered local people to leave during a clearance operation.
Pastor Naw Taung said that religious leaders from all faiths visited the Tanai Administrator’s Office and discussed with the administrator, officials of government departments, and representative of Regional Operation Command (ROC) for local people to leave the area but officials would not give permission for those stranded to leave.
“We could pick up only 400 people yesterday as we did not have enough mechanized boats. There are over 1,000 people still stranded in Nam Kwan Chaungwa. Moreover,also, there are hundreds of people in Dai Pha. The officials did not give permission for us to evacuate the area. The government and military passed the buck in this case. The military said that we could move people if the government could take responsibility. However, government officials said that they would have to present the case to higher officials,” Naw Taung said.
The government dropped leaflets on gold mines and amber mines in Tanai Township informing miners to leave the mines not later than June 15 as government troops would launch area clearing operations.