17,602 displaced people (IDPs) sheltering in Kyaikto Township in Mon State’s Thaton District are still unable to return home and are in urgent need of food.
They have fled from 36 other villages across five village tracts in Kyaikto Township since 14 May 2025, when hundreds of junta troops in the area launched an offensive supported by heavy artillery.
According to the Karen National Union (KNU) Thaton District Administration, currently there are 17,602 IDPs sheltering in Kyaikto Township who have fled from other more dangerous areas of the township.
The IDPs are currently sheltering in forests near their villages in Kyaikto Township or in nearby villages that are still considered relatively safe. However, many are too afraid to remain in one place for more than a few days and are constantly on the move due to the constant threat of junta airstrikes.
The Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN) which is made up of 22 organisations in Myanmar and Thailand that support vulnerable people and communities in south eastern Myanmar, is actively collaborating with civil society organisations on the ground and Karen community groups to address the growing needs of the Kyaikto Township IDPs as the rainy season approaches.
According to a KPSN spokesperson, Naw Cherry, the IDPs are in urgent need of food and other items.
She said: “Food is the most urgently needed right now. Most of the IDPs fled in a hurry and couldn’t bring anything with them. They need basic staples like rice, oil, onions, chilli, and other essential items.”
She added that the IDPs also need medicines, healthcare and basic commodities to keep them healthy.
“As the rainy season approaches, there’s a real risk of more cases of flu and diarrhoea. IDPs need medicines to prevent these illnesses, plus blankets, mosquito nets, and sleeping mats. Without clean drinking water, infectious disease outbreaks are also a big concern. So, their healthcare needs are equally important,” Naw Cherry said to KIC.
Approximately 140,000 people were displaced in Mon State’s Thaton District since the February 2021 coup until the end of March 2025, according to data gathered by the the Committee for Internally Displaced Karen People (CIDKP), a humanitarian organisation established in 1998 to respond to the emergency needs of IDP in remote areas of southeast Myanmar.
