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Joyless Christmas for Kachins displaced by war in Myanmar's north

Internally displaced people in Kachin State hear 'gunfire instead of bells ringing' 
Joyless Christmas for Kachins displaced by war in Myanmar's north

An ethnic Kachin woman in a small make-shift camp in Kachin State in September, 2012. There are over 100,000 people still who remain displaced due to ongoing fighting between the Kachin Independence Army and Myanmar's military. (ucanews.com photo)

Published: December 19, 2016 05:54 AM GMT
Updated: December 19, 2016 05:54 AM GMT

For Ze Nywi, an ethnic Kachin woman, this Christmas will be her sixth in an internally displaced people (IDP) camp away from her home in conflict-stricken Kachin State, a predominantly Christian region in northern Myanmar.

Christmas used to be a special occasion for the Kachin people with festivities held throughout December. People would move from village to village singing songs, dancing and decorating houses.

"The atmosphere of joyful singing and making donations has turned to one of sorrow and sadness," says Ze Nywi, a Baptist, who runs a small grocery store in Jai Mai Kaung IDP camp in Myitkyina where 1,000 people live.

"We are filled with fear even though December is supposed to be a joyful and peaceful season for Christians. We hear gunfire instead of bell ringing," said Ze Nywi, a mother of three.

The 43-year-old said her mother and five members of her family fled from Innkwaryan village near Laiza, the Kachin Independence Army's (KIA) headquarters when fighting intensified in the region in July 2011.

A ceasefire between the KIA and the Myanmar military in Kachin and northern Shan states broke down a month earlier. The conflict would go on to displace over 100,000 people, many of them Christians. Of that number there are an estimated 50,000 people living in temporary shelters in the non-governmental controlled area, according to the United Nations. The rest remain in IDP camps.

Joseph Brang Aung, who has lived in a camp in Waimaw Township, near Myitkyna, the capital of Kachin state, since December 2011, said that displaced people celebrate Christmas by sacrificing their difficulties to Jesus.

"We want to return home, we have lived in the camp for more than five years; I believe our hope will one day be fulfilled by Jesus," said Brang Aung, a Catholic and father of five.

Naw Taung, in charge of Ja Mai Kaung IDP camp in Myitkyina, said that they cannot hold celebrations in the camp due to funding shortfalls so instead they will take everyone there to church on Christmas Day.

"Christmas is a happy time for families, relatives and friends but for IDPs it is an unhappy time as they remain in small rooms in ramshackle camps. They have lived like this for five years and they worry about their future," said Naw Taung, a Baptist.

 

Kachin children in a camp for internally displaced people in Kutkhai township, northern Shan State in March, 2015. (ucanews.com photo)

 

Church cares for IDPs

Bishop Raymond Sumlut Gam of Banmaw says he prioritizes the camps especially at Christmas time so he can offer moral support. The Kachin Bishop was planning to visit two camps in December to celebrate Christmas with those living there.

"Bishops, priests and nuns visit and celebrate Christmas in the camps as a show of solidarity so I see it as a peaceful time for those who are displaced as they are loved and consoled by God," said Bishop Sumlut Gam.

The bishop says that the Catholic Church has played an important role in providing food and non-food items as well as spiritual and social programs to those in the camps.

The supplies are needed because food for IDPs in Kachin is being restricted leading to deteriorating food security. Access to camps, especially in KIA-controlled areas, has been difficult, according to aid groups.

Little hope in Aung San Suu Kyi

At first, Suu Kyi's civilian government offered hope to the ethnic people. The Nobel Peace Prize winner pledged to end hostilities in the country, which has been racked with ethnic conflicts for nearly 70 years.

However, peace remains elusive despite the new government's efforts, including the 21st Century Panglong Conference peace talks held in August.

Renewed conflict has erupted since then in northern Shan State between the military and ethnic armed groups, flaring up in November. Even more people have been displaced.

"We IDPs voted for Suu Kyi's party … but our hopes have dimmed and turned into disappointment as more fighting has come…. We have a long, long way to go before we can gain a durable peace and return to our homes," said Brang Aung.

Ze Nywi, the grocery store manager, has little hope of returning home while fighting continues.

"We had high expectations from Suu Kyi, that she could bring about peace in our region but prospects are still not looking good," she said.

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