Over 80,800 people have been displaced within one month in the Tanintharyi Region due to military offensives, airstrikes, and civilian arrests around the Dawei seaport area.
Although fighting has lessened due to the rainy season, airstrikes continue, according to information from FE 5 Tanintharyi.
FE 5 Tanintharyi’s official Kyaw said, in May, the military situation continued to be tense in Dawei and Launglon, with locals forced to flee their villages and who remained displaced.
“There is still intense fighting in Dawei and Launglon. Many villagers are still displaced, and even in the Tee Khee area, where there are battles for control of camps, people remain displaced. Due to the rainy season, there are strong winds and rain in Tanintharyi, and although groups are helping displaced people, the number of displaced people exceeds what their capacity to assist, and as a result face many difficulties,” he said.
The official added that at least 41,800 people have fled their homes in Dawei District’s Dawei, Launglon, Yebyu, and Thayetchaung townships.
Additionally, in Myeik District, Palaw, Tanintharyi, Myeik, and Kyunsu townships, over 37,000 people have been displaced due to fighting and air and naval attacks, sheltering in forests, fields, villages, and towns outside official camps.
During the rainy season, local fisheries, dried fish, and salt industries have been halted, and residents face food shortages and rising prices due to military-imposed restrictions on food imports.
All displaced persons and locals in the Tanintharyi Region face health, food, and human rights challenges throughout the rainy season.
In May alone, there were 42 battles in Tanintharyi, including 19 airstrikes and at least 6 drone attacks by the military junta.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) released a report last February that found that since the military coup four years ago, over 3.5 million people have been displaced across Myanmar.
