Mon State Humanitarian Briefing

Mon State Humanitarian Briefing

October 2023

By

Department of Humanitarian and Rescue, Mon State Executive Committee

Mon State Federal Council (MSFC)[1]

I. New Conflict after Coup

The Mon State had been in peace during 2012-2020 after two key Ethnic Resistance Organizations, Karen National Union (KNU) and the New Mon State Party (NMSP) signed bi-literal ceasefire in 2012 and later these EROs are engaging in peace proess with a politial purpose to build a future federal democratic Burma/Myanmar. However, the situation has changed after 2021 February military coup by the military junta under the name of State Administrative Council (SAC) in Burma.

Most military brigades of KNU re-engaged in fighting against the the coup military junta, with accusation that the military regime broke peace process and initiated violence against the civilians.  Many newly formed Spring Revolationary’s armed force with the different names of People Defence Forces (PDFs), obtained assistance from KNU and declared wars against the junta leadership.

The military regime oppressed violently to the civilians those are suspected as PDF supporters or political opposition.  Gross human rights violations against the civilians such as arbitrary killings, arrests, tortures, forced disappearance, motor shelling and airstrikes against the civilians occurs in all townships in southern Burma – Karen State, Mon State and Taninthayi (Tenasserim) Division.  Accordingly, to a Mon human rights group, HURFOM, it documented that about 4,514 people were arrested and detained, 1,074 people injured and 355 people killed in Karen State, Mon State and Taninthayi Division (Region) by the third week of October, since the military coup[2].

The conflict have occasionally outbroken in the northern part of Mon State, especially in Kyaikhto, Bee Lin and Thaton Townships.  KNU and PDFs attempted to control Mawlamyine-Ye motor road and therefore, the fighting broke out in Ye and Thanbyuzayat Townships in southern Mon State. In addition, the PDFs are often attacking the junta’s military outpost.  Sometimes the fighting outbroke while military junta troops are operating the military offensives.

Moreover, the civilians have been suffered from motor shells shot by junta’s battalions.  Some villagers stepped on land-mines.  Military junta’s airstrikes against the civilians forced the villagers to flee from the villages and displaced.

II. The Armed Conflict and Violence

In October 2023, soon after the rainy season, more armed fighting broke out in both northern parts of Mon State.  Along with fighting, the junta troops in Mon State violated the human rights of the local people.  This is the main reason why the villagers have been displaced.

MSFC’s Humanitarian and Rescue Department’s targeted areas are: 10 Townships in Mon State; the nearby areas, Kya-innseikyi Township in Karen State; and Yebyu Township in Tanintharyi Region (Division).

The armed conflict and violence that forced the people to be displaced during October 2023 are as below:

• On October 1, the junta’s Paung Township General Administration Department (GAD) imposed movement in Paung Township after four police officers, informers and militia members of the military junta were shot and killed in Township[3]. The local people faced dangers in moving around to their farms and workplaces.
• On October 1, the military junta launched an artillery attack on Lay Kay village, Bilin Township, Mon State and injured a disabled person, reported the Thaton District Karen National Union (KNU). In the morning of October 1, the Karen National Liberation Army and the People’s Defense Force attacked a military unit based in Lay Kay village and in response, the military launched four artillery attacks on the village. The artillery shells fell and exploded at the village monastery and nearby rubber plantation and injured a 28-year-old disabled person who slept in the monastery[4].
• On October 7, 24 residents from Kyauk Ka Nyar village, Yebyu Township, Tenasserim Division were arrested by the local artillery regiment. As of today, only five of those arrested were released and 19 remain in custody. “Some of those arrested during the military operation were released on the same day. But most have not been released yet. Just five were released,” said a local source. “The military initially arrested them to be used as a human shield. But we don’t know why the artillery regiment made the arrest,” said a local man from Kyauk Ka Nyar village[5].
• On October 10, 2023, the junta’s artillery battalions in Thanbyuzayat and Ye Townships, Mon State have frequently launched artillery attacks at the check-point of the People’s Defense Forces in Wel Kha Mi and Out Hngat Pyaw Taw villages, Thanbyuzayat Township. The frequent artillery attacks are making owners of the nearby plantations afraid to stay and work at their plantation[6].
• On October 11, 2023, the military junta’s Artillery Regiment, No. 310 based in Thein Za Yat village in Thaton Township, shot motor shells into villages nearby. According to the villagers, the junta military base shot at least 5 to 10 motor shells into different villages by threatening to not accept PDFs in their villages[7].
• On October 20, 2023, the fighting between the PDF joint forces and the military junta troops in Kyone Laung village, near Ye Town, and about 500 villagers in the area have fled from their homes to escape.
• On October 22, 2023, the fighting broke out in Kinmumchaung village, Kyaik-hto Township, after the PDF fought against the police station. The military junta shot with shell motors to villages nearby and 3 villagers injured[8].
• On October 23, 2023, the military junta’s 8th and 9th Light Infantry Battalions and the 314th Artillery Battalion destroyed two roads connecting the Dough Yat, Khae Mount and Shwe Yaung Pya villages in Bilin Township, Mon State. About 100 junta troops destroyed connecting village roads by digging a long deep trench along the roadway. The trench is 15 ft in length, 6 ft in width and 6 ft in aepth[9].
• On October 25, the military junta troops also burnt down about 3 houses in Nabulae village, in Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Taninthayi Region. About 150 junta troops came into that area and fighting broke out with PDFs. Thousands of villagers have to flee from their homes[10].
• Since October 26, the villagers in Kha-lae Takhung Taing area in western part of Kya-inn-seikyi Township area (Karen State) and the villagers have concerned that the fighting would break out as they founded that the military junta troops are taking position in the area. The fighting really broke out by the end of October and about 6000 villagers in the area have to flee[11].

III. The Reasons for the Needs of Foods and Shelters

Some villagers in the conflict zone have to flee from their homes or villages because of fighting and conflict and moved away from their homes.  The villagers are afraid to return to their homes.  They have to stay longer in hidden location and then most of them needed food and sheltering assistance.

In some areas, the villagers are facing ‘movement restriction’ as they could not move out from their villages in order to work in their farms or travel for businesses or trading.  Their movements are limited by the military junta’s motor shells, fighting in the surrounding areas, and land mines.  These villagers also faced food-shortages but they still have shelters.

In MSFC’s Analysis on displaced population, there are two types of population.  The first type of the population is the people in urgent needs for both shelters and foods, and the conflict affected population. 

The people in urgent needs are the people who are fleeing from war and conflict in urgent situation.  They can be displaced and they can be at their home villages, but the conflict and movement restrict block to face food-shortage problems.

The conflict affected population are the people who live in conflict zones or fighting areas.  These people are almost one-third or half of the population in each Township.  Whenever the fighting breaks out near their communities, if they have to flee, they suddenly become the people in urgent needs.

IV. Areas and Population in Needs (in October 2023)

MSFC’s targeted area are 10 Townships in Mon State; Kya-inn-seikyi Township in Karen State and Yebyu Township in Taninthayi Region.

V. Appeal to Aid Agencies

MSFC’s Department of Humanitarian and Rescue would like to recommend to the international community as below.

1. The international community, especially UN Agencies and Government Agencies needs to have a proper humanitarian relief plan to quickly response on the humanitarian needs of IDPs or the community people those suffered from war and violence.
2. The international aid agencies must not transfer aid assistance to military junta, SAC and its agencies to help the people as these aids can be politicized or militarized by the junta.
3. The international aid agencies must work with the local CSOs/ CBOs and NGOs those work closely with communities, to effectively help IDPs and war victims.

Contact to:

Department of Humanitarian and Rescue

Mon State Federal Council

Mobile: +6693 538 5190

Email: [email protected]

[1] Mon State Federal Council (recently known as Mon State Interim Coordinating Committee (MSICC) formed with pro-democracy and federalists from Mon State during Spring Reolution. It formed Legislative Committee; Judicial Committee and Executive with main objective to exercise the Federal Unit’s power in the future formation of Federal Democratic Union of Burma/Myanmar.  Department of Humanitarian and Rescue is a implementation department in Executive Committee

[2] Human Rights Foundation of Monland, October 23, 2023, Weekly Overview: Human Rights Situation in Mon State, Karen State and Taninthayi Region, https://rehmonnya.org/archives/9310

[3] HURFOM, junta imposes movement restriction creating more difficulties for people in Paung, https://rehmonnya.org/archives/9169

[4] HURFOM, Disabled person injured by artillery explosion in Bilin, https://rehmonnya.org/archives/9181

[5] HURFOM, Early October 9 Kyauk Ka Nyar villagers arrested and not yet released, https://rehmonnya.org/archives/9289#more-9289

[6] HURFOM, owners fear travelling to and stayng overnight at plantation due to junta’s artillery attack, https://rehmonnya.org/archives/9240

[7] Independent Mon News Agency (IMNA), https://burmese.monnews.org/2023/10/12/ကျိုက်ထိုတွင်-စစ်ကောင်/

[8] IMNA, https://burmese.monnews.org/2023/10/24/ကျိုက်ထို-ကင်မွန်းချော-2/?fbclid=IwAR1ehrkXVMVYy2wG1L8xPx_gRc2pV8_XKbCOwsuB7mxrmDsGi48wHi601k4

[9] Junta destroys two village roads creating problems in 15 villages in Bilin, https://rehmonnya.org/archives/9342

[10] IMNA, https://burmese.monnews.org/2023/10/25/ရေဖြူနှင့်-သရက်ချောင်းမ/?fbclid=IwAR2pbxyMfZrM2c4SyUa-cxRz9GjFdvs5x2EduBDdx8uinuVraGi0ewilti4

[11] https://burmese.monnews.org/2023/10/26/စစ်တပ်ရှိနေသည့်အတွက်-တိ/?fbclid=IwAR1Nk70fb-24Xbo62d9ISRqe2GKCpdSooXTGtGZ2hNb-87Ws2Fw8Hu-Qgll

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