Mon State Humanitarian Briefing

ကံင်ဇြဳဖေဝ်ဒရေဝ်ဍုင်မန်

မွန်ပြည်ဖက်ဒရယ်ကောင်စီ

Mon State Federal Council

Mon State Humanitarian Briefing

January 2024

By

Department of Humanitarian and Rescue, Mon State Executive Committee

Mon State Federal Council (MSFC)[1]

1. Political Oppression & Violence

During January 2024, the fighting outbroke in both northern part of Mon State, especially in Kyaik-hto Township, and southern part of Mon State, in Ye and Thanbyuzat Townships , in which drove out about 7000-7500 people from their homes.

In early of January, after Karen National Defense Organization attacked the Win Thar Pan military base in Bilin Township, the military junta attacked the villagers as revenge.  Then, the villagers have started fleeing[2].  At the same time, the fighting outbroke in southern part of Mon State, between the revolutionary alliance forces including the Mon State Revolutionary Force (MSRF) and the junta force. The fighting outbroke in Ye and Thanbyuzayat Townships and drove out nearly 2000 villagers to flee.

As usual, whenever the fighting outbroke, the military junta force always shot into the villages with artilleries and motor shells.  The villagers got hits by the motor shells and some of them.  In January 2023, about five people died by SAC’s motor shells and 2 people were inhumanely tortured in prison, and died.  There were many people got injuries.

In addition, the SAC’s local military bases also laid down the landmines nearby their military bases and on the forest ways near their bases.   Therefore, the villagers those run their motor shells died or serious injuries after they run from their homes.  The local people and the farmers also stepped on land-mines.

Accordingly, to a Mon human rights group, HURFOM, it documented that about 4,973 people were arrested and detained, 1,269 people injured and 435 people killed in Karen State, Mon State and Taninthayi Division (Region) by the end of January 2024, since the military coup[3].

1. The Displacement in MSFC Targetted Area

The fighting in the middle part of Mon State, the military junta’s motor shells to civilians and the airstrikes forced out over 7,000-7500 people in January 2024,  especially in Kyaik-hto, Bee Lin, Thaton, Thanbyuzayat and Ye Townships.

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 January 2024 are as below:

• Even the displaced persons in Kyaikmayaw Township, in the middle part of Mon State, were in hiding and they were attacked by the Burmese Army. When the junta soldiers came into Mae Ta Yo village, they beat the villagers and looted properties from household. A man, 52 years old man, was beaten and abandonned outside of the village[4].
• After the armed clash between the military junta and the joint forces of the Karen National Defense Organization (KNDO) in late 2023 in Win Tar Pan village, Bilin Township, northern the military continously pounded with motor shells into the village and the villagers have to flee.  About 1500 villagers in the area have to flee and displaced in the area nearby[5].
• On January 10^th, the military junta has targeted villages under the control of the 1st Brigade of the Karen National Liberation Army, Karen National Union in Thaton Township, Mon State.   Constant artillery attacks have forced nearly 400 villagers, from Su Inn, aw Hline Yaw Lay Gone and Kyone Main villages fled their homes[6].
• On January 19th, 2024, the military junta launched artillery attacks on Tattoo Gone village, Dough Yat village tract, Bilin Township, Mon State killing four women, reported a local rescue team. The 314th Artillery Regiment based in Zee Wun village, launched the attacks that killed four women and destroyed two houses. 22-year-old Ma Sandar, 46-year-old Naw Kor Lar Mu and 49-year-old Daw Naw Mu all died on the spot.  “The artillery shells dropped and exploded on the eastern and central parts of the village. Three women were killed while seven villagers sustained injuries. The entire village is in sorrow,” said a Tattoo Gone villager[7].

Because of the above-mentioned violence the civilians and SAC’s no respect to the International Humanitarian Law, more civilians get hurt than the combatants from the revolutionary force.

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.

1. Areas and Population in Needs (in January 2024)

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

IDPs Data in January 2024

1. 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 need to have 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: +66 62 051 2997

Email: [email protected]; [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 (HURFOM), https://rehmonnya.org/archives/9743

[3] HURFOM, 4^th Week of January 2024, Weekly Overview: https://rehmonnya.org/archives/9897

[4] HURFOM, January 3, 2024, https://rehmonnya.org/archives/9728#more-9728

[5] HURFOM, January 5, https://rehmonnya.org/archives/9743

[6] HURFOM, January 16, https://rehmonnya.org/archives/9815#more-9815

[7] HURFOM, Januay 23, https://rehmonnya.org/archives/9868