In the Mutraw (Hpapun) District of Karen State, Military Council troops are engaged in the looting of possessions from the residences of individuals who have vacated their homes, in order to seeking employment elsewhere to sustain their livelihoods, locals said.
Owing to their lack of access to education and healthcare, as well as obstacles in securing essential food items exacerbated by transportation difficulties in the area, individuals who have either internally migrated or ventured abroad, find themselves compelled to leave their residences securely locked. A resident from Hpapun reported that Military Council troops are actively destroying the locks to such homes and engaged in looting.
"The Military Council soldiers went into the homes of people who left for Bangkok. Since the houses were locked from the outside, they figured they were uninhabited. They broke the locks and took everything, from small stuff like lightbulbs to beds, furniture, and food. Such actions are unacceptable”, the source said. "
In the current situation with disrupted transport routes, it looks like both the local people and soldiers like them are running low on food. They didn't do such looting in previous months. Many families are close to starving, so it seems they are trying to find food any way they can”, he said.
Due to military conflict, challenging transportation, and limited access to basic necessities, certain locals have migrated abroad for work, with some choosing cities like Hpa-An and Mawlamyine, situated close to Hpapun.
In Hpa-pun, besides stealing belongings from vacant houses, the Military Council troops are forcibly seizing money, consumer goods, and food including rice and livestock, during operations in neighboring villages, according to the Karen National Union (KNU)'s Mutraw District News.
An unnamed source close to government departments informed KIC that the Military Council troops, facing food shortages due to disruptions in food transport routes,
engage in looting activities to meet their daily sustenance needs. Families at their bases are starving, so it seems they are trying to find food any way they can”, he said.
