Due to ongoing armed clashes in Kawkareik Township, Karen State, and airstrikes by the military council on Kanni village, residents in and around the area are still in urgent need of assistance to evacuate to safer locations, according to local volunteers aiding displaced people.
Since the second week of April, fighting between military council troops and joint resistance forces has intensified around the entry and exit routes of Kawkareik town. The military has also been conducting airstrikes on Kyone Doe and Kanni villages.
As a result, nearly 1,500 residents from villages, including Kawkyike, Kawkhike, Kanni, Tharyet Taw, Tada U, and Kawkabo, fled to Mawlamyine on April 15 due to the air raids. Many more from Kawkareik and Kyone Doe have taken refuge near Hpa-an, according to a representative from the Mon Relief and Development Department Center.
However, volunteers in Mawlamyine said that due to the continuous aerial bombings, rescue operations to help those still in the villages have been halted as they await improvements in the security situation.
“People are slowly fleeing day by day. Some have the money, but no one has vehicles to pick them up. Traveling is difficult, especially from areas like Dhammasakkya. Those who can find a way or vehicles when there’s a lull in the fighting do manage to get out,” said a volunteer.
In addition, refugees who escaped via forest paths from Kawkareik reportedly had to pay 50,000 kyats each to soldiers at checkpoints, according to sources close to displaced communities in Hpa-an.
Displaced Mon and Karen people are currently sheltering at Min Ywa (Ywa Thit) School in Mawlamyine. Most are elderly, women, and children, with more than 100.
A volunteer in Mawlamyine shared, “Some are at monasteries in the city, and others are staying in relatives’ homes. Most are from Kanni, Tharyet Taw, and Kawkyike. If more donations of sleeping mats and bedding come in, it would help a lot. Some men are staying behind in the villages to guard them out of fear of looting if everyone flees.”
For these displaced people, local Mon organizations, monks, the New Mon State Party’s relief teams, humanitarian groups, and youth organizations are all working together to provide support.
On April 15, the military council launched airstrikes and dropped bombs on monasteries and civilian areas in Kawkareik Township, killing at least 15 people—including monks—and injuring more than 30 others, according to reports.
From April 14 to 18, the military council carried out continuous bombing in the Kyone Doe–Kawkareik region. As a result, over 10,000 residents from 40 villages have fled to Mawlamyine, Hpa-an, and Myawaddy, according to local sources.
