press x to close
, 
, 
, 
These photos were taken in January 2024, in F--- village, Kyaw Hta village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township, Dooplaya District. These photos show villagers from C--- village, Meh Naw Aa village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township, who sought shelter in F--- village, due to fighting that occurred in Kyeh Done Town between SAC and KNLA soldiers on January 26th 2024, and the SAC shelling mortar rounds in the vicinity. [Photos: KHRG]
January 2024: Displacement due to SAC shelling
On January 26th 2024, fighting broke out between Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)[1] and State Administration Council (SAC)[2] soldiers in Kyeh Done Town [located in Kaw T’Ree Township, Dooplaya District]. During the fighting, the SAC, based in Kyeh Done Town, shelled rounds of mortar and two mortar shells landed into A--- village, Meh Naw Aa village tract[3], Kaw T’Ree Township. The shelling did not cause any injuries, but it damaged villagers’ betel nut[4] plantations. Due to the fighting and shelling, villagers from B--- village and A--- village, in Meh Taw village tract, and C--- village, in Meh Naw Aa village tract, had to flee. Some villagers fled to D--- village [in Thailand], and some villagers fled to E--- village, in Kyaw Hta village tract, while other villagers fled to their relatives’ villages. Some villagers were unable to carry enough food or belongings, so they faced many problems during displacement. Due to security concerns [regarding shelling], villagers were not allowed to return to their village [as warned by Karen National Union (KNU)[5] local authorities since January 2024].
January to August: Education challenges in Kaw T’Ree Township
Fighting [between the SAC and armed resistance groups] and shelling [from the SAC] has occurred frequently in the vicinity of Kaw T'Ree Town and [in the vicinity of] the Asian Highway[6], so villages near the town and the Asian Highway, particularly G--- village (Kaw Nweh village tract) and B--- village (Meh Taw village tract) have been unable to open schools [because] villagers have fled their villages due to fighting, shelling, and SAC troop reinforcement [in the area]. Only a few schools [run by the Karen Education and Culture Department (KECD)[7]] were open in villages far from Kaw T'Ree Town and the Asian Highway.
Children in Maw Ma village tract, Kaw T'Ree Township, had to study in a monastery [with lessons taught by both formally and informally trained teachers] because schools were closed. [From January to March 2024, SAC Infantry Battalion (IB)[8] #97 fired shells into Maw Ma village tract almost every day.[9]] Some children who were unable to study in school had their relatives teach them at home when their relatives had free time.
Even though some schools were open [in Kaw T’Ree Township], the students, teachers, and parents were still concerned about air strikes and shelling. Moreover, there were not enough teachers or textbooks in some schools. Some children were Pwo Karen, so they faced language barriers while studying in S'gaw Karen language [in the KECD schools in Kaw T’Ree Township].
For high school students [from Kaw Nweh village tract, Meh Taw village tract, and Maw Ma village tract], they have to go to H---’s high school, in A’Kyoo village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township. Some [high school] students stopped their education and went to Thailand [to work]. Some students were unable to study because they had fled from the village to their huts [away from the village] and the river sources [term used to refer to upstream, usually towards the jungle].
In the villages close to Kaw T’Ree Town, the children's education has been impacted for three years due to the armed conflict.
May to August: SAC drone strikes and shelling in Maw Ma village tract and Kaw Nweh village tract
On May 31st 2024, an SAC drone dropped four bombs into I--- village, Maw Ma village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township, and killed one villager and injured another. Saw[10] U--- (19 years old) was killed immediately by the SAC drone strikes, and V--- (14 years old) was injured on his right arm. V--- was hospitalised at Z--- clinic in Hkoh Ther Si village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township.
On July 8th 2024, the SAC conducted shelling into I--- village, Maw Ma village tract. Due to the shelling, a villager named Saw W--- (41 years old) was injured by the shrapnel from a mortar shell. He was injured on his back and hospitalised at Z--- clinic in Hkoh Ther Si village tract.
On August 2nd 2024, at 2:40 pm, the SAC conducted shelling into Q--- village, Kaw Nweh village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township, and injured two villagers. U[11] X--- (58 years old) was injured on his neck and ear and U Y--- [unknown age] was injured on his calf and minorly on his head and ear. [Their treatment location is unknown.]
January to August: Healthcare challenges in Kaw T’Ree Township
In Kaw T’Ree Township, villagers faced difficulties with health care issues. There are no clinics in Aaw Hpa Hpa Doh village tract, Maw Ma village tract, and Kaw Nweh village tract, so villagers from all three village tracts have to travel very far to access a clinic when they are ill. If villagers were not seriously ill, they bought medicine from the shop in the village. Patients [from these village tracts who require medical care] such as those injured by shrapnel from mortar shells or pregnant women who have to deliver babies had to go to clinics in J--- village, in A’Kyoo village tract, and Z--- village, in Hkoh Ther Si village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township, or K--- village, T’Ree T’Kaw village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township. It is very far for villagers who live in Aaw Hpa Hpa Doh village tract, Maw Ma village tract, and Kaw Nweh village tract to access these clinics. A mother who had just given birth [unidentified name and village] explained to [the KHRG researcher] that she faced problems when she went to the clinic to deliver her baby because of flooding, poor roads, and mud [that she encountered on the way]. Villagers were afraid to go to the town for treatment [due to the presence of SAC soldiers and fighting], and the hospital [in Kaw T’Ree Town] was also closed [because of fighting].
The villagers in L--- village, and M--- village in Meh Taw village tract, who were located near Kaw T’Ree Town, had to flee from their villages [due to fighting and other SAC military activities]. The villagers did not receive proper [medical] treatment [for injuries or diseases] because the available [Burma] government hospital is located far from them. Due to flooding and poor road conditions, villagers who are in emergency [medical] situations and critical conditions faced serious challenges to access the hospital. Due to the poor [state of the] road and flooding, a one-hour journey became a three- or four-hour journey to travel.
There are KNU-run clinics located in J--- village, A’Kyoo village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township, and in K--- village, T’Ree T’Kaw village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township [which are far from L--- village and M--- village]. The long distance delayed the patients from receiving quick treatment [meaning that] some villagers lost their lives since they could not receive treatment on time.
Villagers who had been displaced in the jungle were facing serious problems with finding or buying medicine.
Travelling restrictions in Kaw T’Ree Township
Since the military coup [in February 2021], it has been difficult for villagers to travel. Villagers are afraid to go to the town due to the Burma Army’s checking [questioning at checkpoints and during random patrols] on the way. The route that villagers use to go to [Kaw T’Ree] Town was dug up by Burma Army soldiers with backhoes so villagers could not travel on it anymore. As a result, villagers had to use other routes, which were poor routes [unpaved roads], muddy, and flooded. Particularly in July 2024, there was heavy raining and flooding, so it was difficult to travel. Some villagers even had to travel by boat.
When villagers go to Kruh Tuh Town to buy things [whenever they cannot go to Kaw T’Ree Town], they had to use the routes that did not have a Burma [Army] military camp. Villagers who live near Kaw T’Ree Town were afraid to travel on the main road [Asian Highway, due to fighting], so they had to travel on another road, which is a poor [unpaved] road. Similarly, if villagers from Aaw Hpa Hpa Doh village tract, Kya Ka Wa village tract, and Kaw Nweh village tract want to go to Kruh Tuh Town to buy things, they have to travel through the mountain route and cross the Kyar Ywa river to K--- village, T’Ree T’Kaw village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township. As June to August was the rainy season, with unusual [heavy] flooding this year [2024], it was difficult for villagers to travel.
January to August: Livelihood challenges
Villagers who live near Kaw T’Ree Town, in Maw Ma village tract, Kaw Nweh village tract, Aaw Hpa Hpa Doh village tract, and in N--- village, Ywa Tan Shin village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township, were living in fear of air strikes, shelling, and the Burma military entering into the village. Villagers from G--- village, O--- village, and P--- village, Kaw Nweh village tract, were afraid to return to their villages because Burma [Army] soldiers were staying in the villages [it is unknown whether the soldiers occupied the villagers’ houses since villagers did not return to check].
The fighting [between the SAC and armed resistance groups] often occurred along the Asian Highway, so the villagers whose farms are located near the Asian Highway dared not continue doing their farming. Burma [Army] soldiers conducted shelling and drone strikes [often, from January to August 2024], so villagers were afraid of farming and herding their cows. Villagers from G--- village and Q--- village, in Kaw Nweh village tract, have been unable to do farming for two years. In R--- village and S--- village, Maw Ma village tract, some villagers dared to do farming, while some did not, especially those who have farms that are located near the Asian Highway.
As villagers were displaced, they could not take care of their cattle, so the cattle damaged some paddy plants. Flooding also caused damage to the villagers’ paddy plants, especially in S--- village, Maw Ma village tract, T--- village, Aaw Hpa Hpa Doh village tract, [and N--- village, Ywa Tan Shin village tract] in Kaw T’Ree Township; and K--- village, T’Ree T’Kaw village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township, because those villages were located near big rivers. As a result, villagers were worried for their food [supply] in the coming year.
While villagers were displaced, their belongings that were kept in their houses were stolen by thieves.
Commodity prices increased in Kaw T’Ree Town
Since villagers [from Kaw T’Ree Town] had difficulty traveling [to Myawaddy to purchase goods to sell in town], commodity prices have increased dramatically in Kaw T’Ree Town, especially oil, onions, and foods that were being sold in town. Some villagers [in Kaw T’Ree Town and the surrounding village tracts] cannot afford to buy things in town [because they do not have enough money]. For instance, the petrol price has increased from 20,000 to 30,000 kyat [9.52 to 14.29 USD][12] for one litre. One litre of oil is 8,000 kyat [3.81 USD]. In contrast, the local fruits and livestock became worthless. Therefore, villages were facing serious problems [with the price of foods].
Further background reading on the human rights situation in Dooplaya District in Southeast Burma/Myanmar can be found in the following KHRG reports:
, 
These photos were taken in August 2024, in I--- village, Maw Ma village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township, Dooplaya District. These two photos show an uncle teaching his nephews and nieces at home because the children cannot go to school after the schools were closed due to fighting, shelling, and SAC air strikes. [Photo: KHRG]
January 2024: Displacement due to SAC shelling
On January 26th 2024, fighting broke out between Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)[1] and State Administration Council (SAC)[2] soldiers in Kyeh Done Town [located in Kaw T’Ree Township, Dooplaya District]. During the fighting, the SAC, based in Kyeh Done Town, shelled rounds of mortar and two mortar shells landed into A--- village, Meh Naw Aa village tract[3], Kaw T’Ree Township. The shelling did not cause any injuries, but it damaged villagers’ betel nut[4] plantations. Due to the fighting and shelling, villagers from B--- village and A--- village, in Meh Taw village tract, and C--- village, in Meh Naw Aa village tract, had to flee. Some villagers fled to D--- village [in Thailand], and some villagers fled to E--- village, in Kyaw Hta village tract, while other villagers fled to their relatives’ villages. Some villagers were unable to carry enough food or belongings, so they faced many problems during displacement. Due to security concerns [regarding shelling], villagers were not allowed to return to their village [as warned by Karen National Union (KNU)[5] local authorities since January 2024].
January to August: Education challenges in Kaw T’Ree Township
Fighting [between the SAC and armed resistance groups] and shelling [from the SAC] has occurred frequently in the vicinity of Kaw T'Ree Town and [in the vicinity of] the Asian Highway[6], so villages near the town and the Asian Highway, particularly G--- village (Kaw Nweh village tract) and B--- village (Meh Taw village tract) have been unable to open schools [because] villagers have fled their villages due to fighting, shelling, and SAC troop reinforcement [in the area]. Only a few schools [run by the Karen Education and Culture Department (KECD)[7]] were open in villages far from Kaw T'Ree Town and the Asian Highway.
Children in Maw Ma village tract, Kaw T'Ree Township, had to study in a monastery [with lessons taught by both formally and informally trained teachers] because schools were closed. [From January to March 2024, SAC Infantry Battalion (IB)[8] #97 fired shells into Maw Ma village tract almost every day.[9]] Some children who were unable to study in school had their relatives teach them at home when their relatives had free time.
Even though some schools were open [in Kaw T’Ree Township], the students, teachers, and parents were still concerned about air strikes and shelling. Moreover, there were not enough teachers or textbooks in some schools. Some children were Pwo Karen, so they faced language barriers while studying in S'gaw Karen language [in the KECD schools in Kaw T’Ree Township].
For high school students [from Kaw Nweh village tract, Meh Taw village tract, and Maw Ma village tract], they have to go to H---’s high school, in A’Kyoo village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township. Some [high school] students stopped their education and went to Thailand [to work]. Some students were unable to study because they had fled from the village to their huts [away from the village] and the river sources [term used to refer to upstream, usually towards the jungle].
In the villages close to Kaw T’Ree Town, the children's education has been impacted for three years due to the armed conflict.
May to August: SAC drone strikes and shelling in Maw Ma village tract and Kaw Nweh village tract
On May 31st 2024, an SAC drone dropped four bombs into I--- village, Maw Ma village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township, and killed one villager and injured another. Saw[10] U--- (19 years old) was killed immediately by the SAC drone strikes, and V--- (14 years old) was injured on his right arm. V--- was hospitalised at Z--- clinic in Hkoh Ther Si village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township.
On July 8th 2024, the SAC conducted shelling into I--- village, Maw Ma village tract. Due to the shelling, a villager named Saw W--- (41 years old) was injured by the shrapnel from a mortar shell. He was injured on his back and hospitalised at Z--- clinic in Hkoh Ther Si village tract.
On August 2nd 2024, at 2:40 pm, the SAC conducted shelling into Q--- village, Kaw Nweh village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township, and injured two villagers. U[11] X--- (58 years old) was injured on his neck and ear and U Y--- [unknown age] was injured on his calf and minorly on his head and ear. [Their treatment location is unknown.]
January to August: Healthcare challenges in Kaw T’Ree Township
In Kaw T’Ree Township, villagers faced difficulties with health care issues. There are no clinics in Aaw Hpa Hpa Doh village tract, Maw Ma village tract, and Kaw Nweh village tract, so villagers from all three village tracts have to travel very far to access a clinic when they are ill. If villagers were not seriously ill, they bought medicine from the shop in the village. Patients [from these village tracts who require medical care] such as those injured by shrapnel from mortar shells or pregnant women who have to deliver babies had to go to clinics in J--- village, in A’Kyoo village tract, and Z--- village, in Hkoh Ther Si village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township, or K--- village, T’Ree T’Kaw village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township. It is very far for villagers who live in Aaw Hpa Hpa Doh village tract, Maw Ma village tract, and Kaw Nweh village tract to access these clinics. A mother who had just given birth [unidentified name and village] explained to [the KHRG researcher] that she faced problems when she went to the clinic to deliver her baby because of flooding, poor roads, and mud [that she encountered on the way]. Villagers were afraid to go to the town for treatment [due to the presence of SAC soldiers and fighting], and the hospital [in Kaw T’Ree Town] was also closed [because of fighting].
The villagers in L--- village, and M--- village in Meh Taw village tract, who were located near Kaw T’Ree Town, had to flee from their villages [due to fighting and other SAC military activities]. The villagers did not receive proper [medical] treatment [for injuries or diseases] because the available [Burma] government hospital is located far from them. Due to flooding and poor road conditions, villagers who are in emergency [medical] situations and critical conditions faced serious challenges to access the hospital. Due to the poor [state of the] road and flooding, a one-hour journey became a three- or four-hour journey to travel.
There are KNU-run clinics located in J--- village, A’Kyoo village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township, and in K--- village, T’Ree T’Kaw village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township [which are far from L--- village and M--- village]. The long distance delayed the patients from receiving quick treatment [meaning that] some villagers lost their lives since they could not receive treatment on time.
Villagers who had been displaced in the jungle were facing serious problems with finding or buying medicine.
Travelling restrictions in Kaw T’Ree Township
Since the military coup [in February 2021], it has been difficult for villagers to travel. Villagers are afraid to go to the town due to the Burma Army’s checking [questioning at checkpoints and during random patrols] on the way. The route that villagers use to go to [Kaw T’Ree] Town was dug up by Burma Army soldiers with backhoes so villagers could not travel on it anymore. As a result, villagers had to use other routes, which were poor routes [unpaved roads], muddy, and flooded. Particularly in July 2024, there was heavy raining and flooding, so it was difficult to travel. Some villagers even had to travel by boat.
When villagers go to Kruh Tuh Town to buy things [whenever they cannot go to Kaw T’Ree Town], they had to use the routes that did not have a Burma [Army] military camp. Villagers who live near Kaw T’Ree Town were afraid to travel on the main road [Asian Highway, due to fighting], so they had to travel on another road, which is a poor [unpaved] road. Similarly, if villagers from Aaw Hpa Hpa Doh village tract, Kya Ka Wa village tract, and Kaw Nweh village tract want to go to Kruh Tuh Town to buy things, they have to travel through the mountain route and cross the Kyar Ywa river to K--- village, T’Ree T’Kaw village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township. As June to August was the rainy season, with unusual [heavy] flooding this year [2024], it was difficult for villagers to travel.
January to August: Livelihood challenges
Villagers who live near Kaw T’Ree Town, in Maw Ma village tract, Kaw Nweh village tract, Aaw Hpa Hpa Doh village tract, and in N--- village, Ywa Tan Shin village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township, were living in fear of air strikes, shelling, and the Burma military entering into the village. Villagers from G--- village, O--- village, and P--- village, Kaw Nweh village tract, were afraid to return to their villages because Burma [Army] soldiers were staying in the villages [it is unknown whether the soldiers occupied the villagers’ houses since villagers did not return to check].
The fighting [between the SAC and armed resistance groups] often occurred along the Asian Highway, so the villagers whose farms are located near the Asian Highway dared not continue doing their farming. Burma [Army] soldiers conducted shelling and drone strikes [often, from January to August 2024], so villagers were afraid of farming and herding their cows. Villagers from G--- village and Q--- village, in Kaw Nweh village tract, have been unable to do farming for two years. In R--- village and S--- village, Maw Ma village tract, some villagers dared to do farming, while some did not, especially those who have farms that are located near the Asian Highway.
As villagers were displaced, they could not take care of their cattle, so the cattle damaged some paddy plants. Flooding also caused damage to the villagers’ paddy plants, especially in S--- village, Maw Ma village tract, T--- village, Aaw Hpa Hpa Doh village tract, [and N--- village, Ywa Tan Shin village tract] in Kaw T’Ree Township; and K--- village, T’Ree T’Kaw village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township, because those villages were located near big rivers. As a result, villagers were worried for their food [supply] in the coming year.
While villagers were displaced, their belongings that were kept in their houses were stolen by thieves.
Commodity prices increased in Kaw T’Ree Town
Since villagers [from Kaw T’Ree Town] had difficulty traveling [to Myawaddy to purchase goods to sell in town], commodity prices have increased dramatically in Kaw T’Ree Town, especially oil, onions, and foods that were being sold in town. Some villagers [in Kaw T’Ree Town and the surrounding village tracts] cannot afford to buy things in town [because they do not have enough money]. For instance, the petrol price has increased from 20,000 to 30,000 kyat [9.52 to 14.29 USD][12] for one litre. One litre of oil is 8,000 kyat [3.81 USD]. In contrast, the local fruits and livestock became worthless. Therefore, villages were facing serious problems [with the price of foods].
Further background reading on the human rights situation in Dooplaya District in Southeast Burma/Myanmar can be found in the following KHRG reports:
, 
, 
, 
These photos were taken in August 2024, at N--- village, Ywa Tan Shin village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township, Dooplaya District. These photos show villagers’ paddy plants damaged by flooding during the rainy season. [Photos: KHRG]
January 2024: Displacement due to SAC shelling
On January 26th 2024, fighting broke out between Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)[1] and State Administration Council (SAC)[2] soldiers in Kyeh Done Town [located in Kaw T’Ree Township, Dooplaya District]. During the fighting, the SAC, based in Kyeh Done Town, shelled rounds of mortar and two mortar shells landed into A--- village, Meh Naw Aa village tract[3], Kaw T’Ree Township. The shelling did not cause any injuries, but it damaged villagers’ betel nut[4] plantations. Due to the fighting and shelling, villagers from B--- village and A--- village, in Meh Taw village tract, and C--- village, in Meh Naw Aa village tract, had to flee. Some villagers fled to D--- village [in Thailand], and some villagers fled to E--- village, in Kyaw Hta village tract, while other villagers fled to their relatives’ villages. Some villagers were unable to carry enough food or belongings, so they faced many problems during displacement. Due to security concerns [regarding shelling], villagers were not allowed to return to their village [as warned by Karen National Union (KNU)[5] local authorities since January 2024].
January to August: Education challenges in Kaw T’Ree Township
Fighting [between the SAC and armed resistance groups] and shelling [from the SAC] has occurred frequently in the vicinity of Kaw T'Ree Town and [in the vicinity of] the Asian Highway[6], so villages near the town and the Asian Highway, particularly G--- village (Kaw Nweh village tract) and B--- village (Meh Taw village tract) have been unable to open schools [because] villagers have fled their villages due to fighting, shelling, and SAC troop reinforcement [in the area]. Only a few schools [run by the Karen Education and Culture Department (KECD)[7]] were open in villages far from Kaw T'Ree Town and the Asian Highway.
Children in Maw Ma village tract, Kaw T'Ree Township, had to study in a monastery [with lessons taught by both formally and informally trained teachers] because schools were closed. [From January to March 2024, SAC Infantry Battalion (IB)[8] #97 fired shells into Maw Ma village tract almost every day.[9]] Some children who were unable to study in school had their relatives teach them at home when their relatives had free time.
Even though some schools were open [in Kaw T’Ree Township], the students, teachers, and parents were still concerned about air strikes and shelling. Moreover, there were not enough teachers or textbooks in some schools. Some children were Pwo Karen, so they faced language barriers while studying in S'gaw Karen language [in the KECD schools in Kaw T’Ree Township].
For high school students [from Kaw Nweh village tract, Meh Taw village tract, and Maw Ma village tract], they have to go to H---’s high school, in A’Kyoo village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township. Some [high school] students stopped their education and went to Thailand [to work]. Some students were unable to study because they had fled from the village to their huts [away from the village] and the river sources [term used to refer to upstream, usually towards the jungle].
In the villages close to Kaw T’Ree Town, the children's education has been impacted for three years due to the armed conflict.
May to August: SAC drone strikes and shelling in Maw Ma village tract and Kaw Nweh village tract
On May 31st 2024, an SAC drone dropped four bombs into I--- village, Maw Ma village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township, and killed one villager and injured another. Saw[10] U--- (19 years old) was killed immediately by the SAC drone strikes, and V--- (14 years old) was injured on his right arm. V--- was hospitalised at Z--- clinic in Hkoh Ther Si village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township.
On July 8th 2024, the SAC conducted shelling into I--- village, Maw Ma village tract. Due to the shelling, a villager named Saw W--- (41 years old) was injured by the shrapnel from a mortar shell. He was injured on his back and hospitalised at Z--- clinic in Hkoh Ther Si village tract.
On August 2nd 2024, at 2:40 pm, the SAC conducted shelling into Q--- village, Kaw Nweh village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township, and injured two villagers. U[11] X--- (58 years old) was injured on his neck and ear and U Y--- [unknown age] was injured on his calf and minorly on his head and ear. [Their treatment location is unknown.]
January to August: Healthcare challenges in Kaw T’Ree Township
In Kaw T’Ree Township, villagers faced difficulties with health care issues. There are no clinics in Aaw Hpa Hpa Doh village tract, Maw Ma village tract, and Kaw Nweh village tract, so villagers from all three village tracts have to travel very far to access a clinic when they are ill. If villagers were not seriously ill, they bought medicine from the shop in the village. Patients [from these village tracts who require medical care] such as those injured by shrapnel from mortar shells or pregnant women who have to deliver babies had to go to clinics in J--- village, in A’Kyoo village tract, and Z--- village, in Hkoh Ther Si village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township, or K--- village, T’Ree T’Kaw village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township. It is very far for villagers who live in Aaw Hpa Hpa Doh village tract, Maw Ma village tract, and Kaw Nweh village tract to access these clinics. A mother who had just given birth [unidentified name and village] explained to [the KHRG researcher] that she faced problems when she went to the clinic to deliver her baby because of flooding, poor roads, and mud [that she encountered on the way]. Villagers were afraid to go to the town for treatment [due to the presence of SAC soldiers and fighting], and the hospital [in Kaw T’Ree Town] was also closed [because of fighting].
The villagers in L--- village, and M--- village in Meh Taw village tract, who were located near Kaw T’Ree Town, had to flee from their villages [due to fighting and other SAC military activities]. The villagers did not receive proper [medical] treatment [for injuries or diseases] because the available [Burma] government hospital is located far from them. Due to flooding and poor road conditions, villagers who are in emergency [medical] situations and critical conditions faced serious challenges to access the hospital. Due to the poor [state of the] road and flooding, a one-hour journey became a three- or four-hour journey to travel.
There are KNU-run clinics located in J--- village, A’Kyoo village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township, and in K--- village, T’Ree T’Kaw village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township [which are far from L--- village and M--- village]. The long distance delayed the patients from receiving quick treatment [meaning that] some villagers lost their lives since they could not receive treatment on time.
Villagers who had been displaced in the jungle were facing serious problems with finding or buying medicine.
Travelling restrictions in Kaw T’Ree Township
Since the military coup [in February 2021], it has been difficult for villagers to travel. Villagers are afraid to go to the town due to the Burma Army’s checking [questioning at checkpoints and during random patrols] on the way. The route that villagers use to go to [Kaw T’Ree] Town was dug up by Burma Army soldiers with backhoes so villagers could not travel on it anymore. As a result, villagers had to use other routes, which were poor routes [unpaved roads], muddy, and flooded. Particularly in July 2024, there was heavy raining and flooding, so it was difficult to travel. Some villagers even had to travel by boat.
When villagers go to Kruh Tuh Town to buy things [whenever they cannot go to Kaw T’Ree Town], they had to use the routes that did not have a Burma [Army] military camp. Villagers who live near Kaw T’Ree Town were afraid to travel on the main road [Asian Highway, due to fighting], so they had to travel on another road, which is a poor [unpaved] road. Similarly, if villagers from Aaw Hpa Hpa Doh village tract, Kya Ka Wa village tract, and Kaw Nweh village tract want to go to Kruh Tuh Town to buy things, they have to travel through the mountain route and cross the Kyar Ywa river to K--- village, T’Ree T’Kaw village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township. As June to August was the rainy season, with unusual [heavy] flooding this year [2024], it was difficult for villagers to travel.
January to August: Livelihood challenges
Villagers who live near Kaw T’Ree Town, in Maw Ma village tract, Kaw Nweh village tract, Aaw Hpa Hpa Doh village tract, and in N--- village, Ywa Tan Shin village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township, were living in fear of air strikes, shelling, and the Burma military entering into the village. Villagers from G--- village, O--- village, and P--- village, Kaw Nweh village tract, were afraid to return to their villages because Burma [Army] soldiers were staying in the villages [it is unknown whether the soldiers occupied the villagers’ houses since villagers did not return to check].
The fighting [between the SAC and armed resistance groups] often occurred along the Asian Highway, so the villagers whose farms are located near the Asian Highway dared not continue doing their farming. Burma [Army] soldiers conducted shelling and drone strikes [often, from January to August 2024], so villagers were afraid of farming and herding their cows. Villagers from G--- village and Q--- village, in Kaw Nweh village tract, have been unable to do farming for two years. In R--- village and S--- village, Maw Ma village tract, some villagers dared to do farming, while some did not, especially those who have farms that are located near the Asian Highway.
As villagers were displaced, they could not take care of their cattle, so the cattle damaged some paddy plants. Flooding also caused damage to the villagers’ paddy plants, especially in S--- village, Maw Ma village tract, T--- village, Aaw Hpa Hpa Doh village tract, [and N--- village, Ywa Tan Shin village tract] in Kaw T’Ree Township; and K--- village, T’Ree T’Kaw village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township, because those villages were located near big rivers. As a result, villagers were worried for their food [supply] in the coming year.
While villagers were displaced, their belongings that were kept in their houses were stolen by thieves.
Commodity prices increased in Kaw T’Ree Town
Since villagers [from Kaw T’Ree Town] had difficulty traveling [to Myawaddy to purchase goods to sell in town], commodity prices have increased dramatically in Kaw T’Ree Town, especially oil, onions, and foods that were being sold in town. Some villagers [in Kaw T’Ree Town and the surrounding village tracts] cannot afford to buy things in town [because they do not have enough money]. For instance, the petrol price has increased from 20,000 to 30,000 kyat [9.52 to 14.29 USD][12] for one litre. One litre of oil is 8,000 kyat [3.81 USD]. In contrast, the local fruits and livestock became worthless. Therefore, villages were facing serious problems [with the price of foods].
Further background reading on the human rights situation in Dooplaya District in Southeast Burma/Myanmar can be found in the following KHRG reports: