Tens of thousands of people protested in Kachin State’s capital yesterday, calling for an end to military hostilities.





The protests were initially planned for October 3, but the local police department denied permission, according to organiser Daw Nang Pu.

“We are calling for the halt of military offensives, the dignified return of internally displaced persons [IDPs], and an end to violence against women during the conflicts,” she said.

Mere words were no longer sufficient, she added.

“Statements alone are no longer working. We need to come out and protest, and demand an end to war.”

At a separate event in Yangon Region, Kachin youth activists held a press conference and demanded the government do more to solve conflicts which have recently escalated.

Ester Ze Naw of the Kachin National Youth Network (KNYN) said the food chains to IDP camps are pinched and restrictions have been put into place.





A leader from Nampaka IDP camp, which houses about 70 families and more than 200 people, said that IDPs are now depending on aid from local organisations.

“Last month, we were told that soon we will no longer be supplied with food,” said Daw Meriam, a resident of Nampaka camp. “IDPs are now being fed by local churches, church-based groups and civil society organisations.”

On September 7, district administrators in Bhamaw/Bhamo township ordered organisations seeking to deliver food to camps to first seek permission of the state government.

“We demand that the government stop restricting and banning the access of humanitarian assistance,” said Ester Ze Naw.

Her organisation, and others, are not taking sides, she said, but are instead calling for an end to the fighting, which broke out in August and continued in September.

The Kachin Peace Network has called on the Tatmadaw to stop intimidation tactics in the IDP camps in Kachin and northern Shan states. The group claims that on September 15 and 16, military personnel entered Namkham township’s Bang Lung IDP camp and began family registration checks. They also took photographs of the families, the group claims. The same tactics were used in Sar Maw IDP camps in Kachin’s Mogaung township on Sept 18.

“The Tatmadaw must fully respect the rights of civilians, under international humanitarian law and human rights laws, and immediately stop any act that violates these rights or threatens the moral integrity and dignity of IDPs,” read a statement of the Kachin Peace Network, released yesterday.

The KNYN also called on the government and the international community not to allow a reduction of humanitarian assistance to the IDPs, who, according to the United Nations’ Office for Humanitarian Assistance, total nearly 100,000 in Kachin and Shan states.

The Kachin activists are also planning to protest the government tomorrow in front of City Hall in Yangon.

Several Kachin activists and politicians have blasted the National League for Democracy government for its silence as the fighting has continued to escalate.

A 17-year truce between the Tatmadaw and the Kachin Independence Army broke down in 2011. The KIA did not sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement.