More than two thousand war refugees in Tanintharyi regions need food supplies and medicine.
Locals and those helping to escape the war said that more than two thousand civilians have fled to safety due to the fighting between the military council and the People's Defense Forces in Tanintharyi Region in early April and are in need of food and medical aid.
"It is necessary. These are always a need. Now, the number of people fleeing the war has increased by the thousands, which has become more necessary. We are just planning to make it convenient. Food and medicines obtained are also in a military evacuation camp. There is also a forest. There are people who go to the city. In some places, it is difficult to even get support due to the difficulty of transportation," he said.
According to the statement of the Support for War Refugees from Dona Tanintharyi in Tanintharyi Region, there were only more than 800 war refugees fleeing the war camps last March, while the total number of people fleeing due to the tightening of the military earlier this month is more than two thousand.
The battle between the two sides started on March 31st, when the Military Council Army and the Border Guard Forces (BGF) joined forces in a column towards the Tanintharyi-MaungTaung road besidethe village of Chaung Na Pouk.
"The first thing that happened was on the side of the two creeks. Our groups from where we entered the column waited and opened fire. From there, the next days the battle was on the YayPhyu side. Also on the side of Thein Khon. This is where the shooting happened four times. Then, yesterday evening, the column from the side of the two creeks, with more than 150 people, ambushed Thel Phyu village. This is exactly 5 times in total. There was a shooting just about now.” the local defense forces said.
A resident said that more than 2,000 residents of Yay Phyu and Thel Phyu Villages and the surrounding areas have fled to safety due to these two sides firing and the tense situation of the military shootings.
“Currently, people who have fled the war are fleeing to the temporary war camps and nearby houses and forest gardens where there is a need for food and medical aid for them," said one of the war refugees.
On the other hand, the Military Council forces have reinforced their forces to attack the area where the People's Defense Forces are active in Tanintharyi region. According to the People's Defense Forces, the Border Guard Force (BGF) is also participating in the attack.
“Due to these conditions, there is military tension between the two sides in Tanintharyi region, and a battle between them could happen at any time, so people should be more careful when traveling,” said a member of the Public Defense Force.
"As you know the current situation with all the tense military situations, a battle can happen at any time. Now, it happens almost every day in one place or another, so we would like to appeal to the public to evacuate in advance. If something happens, we don't want our people to be harmed," he said.
Due to the intense fighting between the two sides, starting from April 3rd, Myeik District Battalion 2 has issued an emergency warning that traffic will be closed on the Myeik-BotePyin road and the HtoneKhar-MawTaung road within Tanintharyi township.
In Tanintharyi region, starting from the first week of March, due to the fighting between the People's Defense Forces and the Military Council troops, and due to the arrival of the military council forces, the number of people fleeing the war has increased rapidly, and in March, the number of people fleeing has increased to nearly 40,000, according to Dona-Tanintharyi, the support group for war refugees.
The United Nations also announced that there are more than 1.7 million people who are fleeing war in the entire country, and more than 17 million people, a third of the population, are in need of humanitarian assistance.
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