Villagers attempting to flee fighting in Kachin State have become trapped as the roads in and out of their town are clogged with warring battalions, according to relief organizations trying to assist the civilians.
With the road heading to safety in Tani town unusable, locals turned to streams in their attempt to escape, but that route appears to have been cut off as well.
“The land route has become a battleground,” said Ko Naw Naw, a relief worker who has been assisting the internally displaced persons (IDPs).
“The only way to escape is through the rivers, but the [Tatmadaw] has also blocked it so there’s no way out,” he said.
Over 1,000 villagers have waiting at the entrance of an amber mine along the Nam Kwang Stream for boats to take them to Tanai town, he added.
“The IDPs were instructed to flee. We were told that around 400 or 500 people were waiting at the [mine] entrance [on June 6]. We went to welcome them at the Nam Kwang Stream jetty,” Ko Naw Naw said.
Around 500 people from Nambyu and N’Ga Ga villages have successfully reached Tanai town and are taking shelter at the Roman Catholic Church, the Kachin Baptist Church, the AG Baptist Church and Buddhist monasteries.
Soon after clashes erupted around Tanai township on June 3, notices were appeared advising villagers and mine workers to leave by June 15 or face the consequences of being considered associates of the Kachin Independence Army. The leaflets were reportedly airdropped around the gold and amber mines.
Local residents said they began to flee when they heard sounds of gunfire on Nam Byu Road throughout the day on June 6.
“There were clashes near our village. We just ran with our children after hearing the sound of gunfire so we don’t even know which direction the sounds were coming from,” said an IDP from Nam Byu Village.
Translated by Thida Linn
Edited by Laignee Barron
