January 23, BAP

 

Ko Maing was among the thousands of residents in Loikaw town who left their homes to escape the fighting between junta troops and resistance fighters since November last year.

 

A few weeks ago Ko Maing gathered some of his town mates who fled Loikaw for a quick return trip to see what is going on in their town, where fighting between pro and anti junta forces continue.

 

"I just want to check on my town to see the things me and my family left in our house. It was only two months since we left our economically booming town but now it is in ruins. It is not only deserted but it is also haunted.

 

It was his first visit in Loikaw in Karenni State where he was born and raised after he and his family as well as thousands of his town mates fled to Sisai township in Pa-O Self-administered zone in southern Shan state since November.

 

It was hurtful. The town looks haunted, which I never imagined in my life. Before, we used to feel fresh air when we entered the town but now, it is covered with bad smells,

 

He recalled the group's experiences when they saw the deserted streets of Loikaw. The houses were covered with overgrown bushes, while others were destroyed by fires and burglars. There were dead bodies littered in some of the streets, emitting a fetid smell.

 

"It was hurtful. The town looks haunted, which I never imagined in my life. Before, we used to feel fresh air when we entered the town but now, it is covered with bad smells," said Ko Maing.

 

Currently, the 45-year-old Ko Maing opened a shop that sells Kachin traditional handcrafts and herbal medicines from Putao at Loikaw market.

 

After Operation 11.11 started in Loikaw, a total of 30 people including Ko Maing and his family fled from the town, closing their shop and carrying some important documents.

 

During his brief return to Loikaw, 10 town mates accompanied Ko Maing aboard a vehicle that traversed unpaved and bumpy roads.

 

"Some of our women companion cried for the duration of our visit as we sneaked from one abandoned street to another. I also wanted to cry but I had to hold back my tears so I could console our women companion," Ko Maing said.

 

Loikaw comprises 13 wards and 12 village tracts and is around 1500 sq kilometer. Around 100,000 people used to live in the town based on the 2014 population census.

 

But now, about 80 percent of the townsfolk fled to the southern Shan state, sheltering in the Pa-O Self-administered zone.

 

Some people don't have homes and families. The town is totally deserted. It is ugly and difficult to re-build. My heart is broken when I visited my town

 

U Pi, a Chinese man who is about over 50-years-old, is one of the displaced people from Karenni state.

 

U Pi worked in the corn plantation business and joined during the brief visit to Loikaw with Ko Maing.

 

"Some people don't have homes and families. The town is totally deserted. It is ugly and difficult to re-build. My heart is broken when I visited my town," said U Pi.

 

 The Internally Displaced People (IDPs) shared their sad experiences when they saw the town during their visit.

 

They saw no inhabitants but stray dogs wandering the deserted wards, houses destroyed by the fire and collapsed buildings.

 

The two-hour trip took over ten hours, as they had to avoid the resistance forces as well as the Burma Army.

 

"We sat all night without sleep. Bad smells are everywhere in the town. And there were no things to carry back because their houses were already emptied by the thieves," U Pi said with a soft tone.

 

After two months of being attacked by the revolutionary forces, most of the places in Loikaw, the capital of Karenni state, continue to be controlled by the junta forces.

 

Nobody dare to go inside the town as the Burma Army soldiers took positions at the high buildings inside the town and shot everyone going inside the town.

 

People who remain in Loikaw are facing shortages of food and they are also finding it very hard to go out, as there is no transportation.

 

"As the charity vehicles are not allowed to go inside the town, people in the town could not leave even if they want to. Even if we bring them with us, they would face hardships so they had to stay there," said Ko Maing.

 

Majority of the residents of Loikaw are sheltering in Sisai and doing all sorts of work for living. And they are hoping to return home because they are facing various difficulties including finding food.

 

More than 30,000 IDPs from Loikaw town are sheltering in Sisai township and are hoping to return home because of the lack of job opportunities.

 

"Even though take all kinds of odd jobs, it is not okay here. So we would try to go home no matter what the situation is," said a Karenni IDP in Sisai.

 

Most of those IDPs are facing difficulties in finding shelter, food, toilets and job opportunities.

 

Myit Myit Than is a pregnant woman with three children who to flee to Sisai and sheltered at an IDP camp. She is currently staying at a temporary shelter beside a road as the IDP camp at a village in Sisai was already overcrowded.

 

 As the town is packed with IDPs, some displaced people had to return back

 

Her husband was killed by the Burma Army as he was accused of being a thief. She faces huge difficulties, as she doesn't work because she has to take care of their young children.

 

"The house from my hometown was completely destroyed. I have a kid and about give birth but no one cares for me. I have to hope for donations. I sometime think of killing myself," she said.

 

Although many Sisai residents look after IDPs, the number of IDPs is growing and they Sisai residents are already over-extended.

 

"As the town is packed with IDPs, some displaced people had to return back.

 

We feel ashamed to ask for donations as the regular donors are getting tired of providing help constantly," a woman who is helping the IDPs said.

 

The IDPs fleeing from Loikaw have to do basic jobs, such as working in the gas station, unloading and loading cargo, housemaids and washing dishes at the restaurants in order to earn for their daily wages. 

 

Khun Bedu, chairman of Karenni National Defense Force (KNDF) urged people in November, last year, to flee to the safe places as the attack in effort to rid the town of junta forces could destroy their homes.

 

Ko Maing urged other people not to return to their hometown at the moment, as the town isn't ready to accept people.

 

He however, wants to return to the town and rebuild his home.

 

"I thought my things were still at my house. But nothing was left. I don't want other people to feel hopeless like me. So, better not to return yet," said Ko Maing.

 

Caption: Loikaw market became deserted and covered with ashes. (Credit: social media)

 

Burma Associated Press