Last month, WFP officials that visited the camp in northern Shan State said the cuts would affect those between of 18 to 50. Pregnant women, children and elders won’t be affected by the reductions and will continue to receive full benefits.

Resident U Ma Dain Chan Lote said: “We faced difficulties even with the full rations. I think we will have more problems (after the food cuts) for our daily living and children’s health. As a parent, it’s hard to support our children to go to school. We work as daily wage workers to get money but we can’t work every day. We can only work when someone needs us, and we only make between 4,000 to 5,000 kyats a day. For this salary, we work from early in the morning until 5 pm.”

Most of the 578 residents in Pan Lon IDP camp formed in 2014 are ethnic Kachin that have been displaced by fighting between the Kachin Independence Army and Burma Army. The majority of which come from Ka Taw Kaung, Yan Wuu, Maw Swe, Dain Gar, and Kyan Kar villages.

Camp deputy in-charge, Sayar U Don Lar Kwan Phan, attributed the cuts to an increase of refugees in the world.

“The number of refugee is rising across the world. They have cut [the food rations] for us who have been receiving them for over two or three years (in order) to give priority to those facing emergencies. They also explained another reason for cutting the rations is to encourage residents to stand on our own feet.”

The Metta Foundation and the Kachin Baptist Church also provide assistance to Pan Lon camp.

Reporting by Network Media Group
Translated by Thida Linn