Food Security and displacement in Burma

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Description: "Highlight • Fighting between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) and various ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) intensified in northern Shan after a series of assaults launched by the “Three Brotherhood Alliance” against military and police bases on the night of 26 October. • Most intense clashes occurred in Chinshwehaw, Hseni, Kutkai, Kyaukme, Lashio, Laukkaing, Namhkan, and Muse townships in northern Shan, causing civilian casualties and widespread displacement. • On the same day, the joint forces of the Karen National Liberation Army and People’s Defense Forces attacked several MAF’s bases in Kawkareik township in Kayin. • Vital routes north from Lashio, the capital city of northern Shan, have been severely restricted by the MAF and EAOs, and mobile communication services have been disrupted. Lashio airport will remain closed until at least 3 November, according to airport authorities. These hindrances are hugely impacting people's mobility, humanitarian access, and communication with affected communities. • As of 30 October, over 6,200 individuals have reportedly been newly displaced, seeking refuge in nearby forests or religious compounds within northern Shan. Additionally, several hundred people have reportedly crossed the border into China in search of safety. • Host communities and private donors have provided the newly displaced people with basic food and other essential relief items. • Humanitarian partners, including the UN, INGOs and local partners, in northern Shan have existing prepositioned relief supplies and stand prepared to respond promptly once security and access improves. In the Southeast, humanitarian partners are currently verifying the number of displaced people and their humanitarian needs to respond accordingly. • The situation remains fluid with ongoing clashes. While the exact number of the newly displaced people are difficult to verify, the displaced are expected to further increase, stretching the already under-funded humanitarian response in Myanmar. • The situation in the rest of the country will also need to be closely monitored. The Arakan Army, which is part of the Three Brotherhood Alliance, has maintained the temporary ceasefire with the MAF in Rakhine since November 2022. Situation Overview Over the past days, the security situation in northern Shan and the Southeast deteriorated significantly due to escalating fighting between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) and various ethnic armed organizations. In a statement issued on 27 October, the Three Brotherhood Alliance in northern Shan, composed of three ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) – the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and the Arakan Army (AA) – announced that they launched attacks against MAF positions and police outposts in northern Shan. Intense gunfire, artillery shelling, and aerial assaults have been reported in 8 out of 22 townships in northern Shan since then. Consequently, seven civilians, including two children, were allegedly killed, and nine civilians, including a child, were injured in Chinshwehaw, Hseni, Kutkai, Lashio, and Namhkan townships. Moreover, at least more than 6,200 people have been displaced in Hseni, Kutkai, Kyaukme, Lashio, and Muse townships, with around 1,000 of them seeking refuge in forests and more than 5,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) taking shelter in temporary sites, mostly religious compounds. Unverified reports suggest that approximately 500 people from Chinshwehaw town in Laukkaing township fled across the border to China for safety. There are indications that the number of people fleeing into China is increasing. Domestic flights to Lashio were suspended from 27 October to 3 November, according to airport authorities, and roads from north of Lashio to access the displaced people remain blocked by both the MAF and EAOs. Mobile communication and data services remain severely limited in Hseni, Kutkai, Muse, Namhkan townships, and Kokang Self-Administered Zone. Additionally, electricity was cut off in Kutkai township due to the destruction of power lines during the fighting. Attacks by the joint forces of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) against MAF positions were also reported in Kawkareik township in Kayin on 27 October. The fighting has since persisted, particularly in and around Kawkareik town along the Asia Highway Road, disrupting the main transportation route between Myanmar and Thailand. There have been reports of two fatalities and two injuries from artillery shelling in Kawkareik town. Residents of Kawkareik and Kyondoe towns, and nearby villages have been fleeing their homes to safer locations in Kawkareik, Hpa-an, and Hlaingbwe townships. The exact number of newly displaced people is still being verified..."
Source/publisher: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (New York) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
2023-10-30
Date of entry/update: 2023-10-30
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Description: "HIGHLIGHTS Armed clashes across Myanmar continued to trigger displacement and affect civilians. As of 2 May 2022, there were an estimated 936,700 internally displaced persons (IDPs) across Myanmar including 590,100 newly displaced since 1 February 2021. In the South-East, the security situation continued to deteriorate with intensified armed clashes), including indiscriminate artillery shelling. Landmines continue to pose grave protection risks for civilians and restrict access to farmland, markets, hospitals and schools. In the South-East, the majority of IDPs are located in Kayah State (89,700), Kayin State (82,000), Shan State South (49,800), as well as in Mon State (18,000), Tanintharyi Region (9,100) and Bago Region (900). In Kachin and Shan (North) states, there is increasing restriction of movement, including physical obstacles on some main roads as well as fear of arrest or detention. This in turn impacts access to basic services and livelihoods opportunities of displaced people. In Shan (North) State, while no new displacement has been reported, forced recruitment and landmines remained key protection issues for civilians. In the North-West, the situation remained tense with continued armed clashes, including aerial attacks, and reports of human rights violations. The main needs of IDPs are food, core relief items, healthcare and shelter. In Chin State, some displaced people came back to their place of origin to check their properties. They are however unable to return home permanently because of the presence of armed groups or because their homes have been destroyed. In the North-West, displacement figures remain high with 240,600 IDPs in Sagaing Region, 50,500 in Magway Region and 36,300 in Chin State, with very limited humanitarian access. In Rakhine State, while some return movements have been observed from Rakhine displacement sites as a result of conflict, mainly in Sittwe, Pauktaw, and Minbya townships, Rakhine IDPs continue to raise concerns related to their security. Their return is hindered by the presence of antipersonnel mines, lack of access to livelihoods and lack of reliable information for them to make informed and free decisions to return to their places of origin/choice. The Rohingya population continues to suffer serious limitations on their enjoyment of basic human rights, such as freedom of movement, education and healthcare..."
Source/publisher: UN High Commissioner for Refugees (Geneva) via Reliefweb (New York)
2022-05-04
Date of entry/update: 2022-05-09
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Description: "In May, WFP progressively expanded its food assistance in urban centres, while maintaining its agility to respond to increasing population displacements. Ongoing conflict, as well as severe socio-economic disruptions are exacerbating food insecurity and malnutrition in Myanmar. WFP estimates that an additional 3.4 million people across Myanmar are at risk of food insecurity, particularly in urban centres. In May, WFP assisted 766,700 people in Myanmar with 5,491 mt of food and US$ 2.3 million in cash-based transfers (CBT). WFP has established a two-month contingency food stock for 500,000 people to quickly mobilize in-kind assistance when and where needed. While the banking situation is gradually improving, WFP and partners are still facing considerable challenges in terms of timely cash withdrawals. This requires WFP to adjust quickly and explore alternative solutions to sustain its regular CBT programme and to pay its suppliers. WFP continues to advocate for safe and unimpeded access to all populations in need but remains cut off from significant numbers of internally displaced people (IDP)..."
Source/publisher: World Food Programme (Rome)
2021-06-21
Date of entry/update: 2021-06-21
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Description: "The United Nations in Myanmar is concerned about the rapidly deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Kayah State and other areas in southeastern Myanmar. Recent violence in Kayah State, including indiscriminate attacks by security forces against civilian areas, has led to the internal displacement of an estimated 100,000 men, women and children. Many of them are currently seeking safety in host communities and forests across Kayah and southern parts of neighboring Shan state. This crisis could push people across international borders seeking safety, as already seen in other parts of the country. The United Nations reiterates its earlier calls for all parties to urgently take the necessary measures and precautions to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, particularly protected objects such as medical units and personnel, and to adhere to the fundamental principles of distinction, necessity, proportionality and protection. People fleeing and those remaining in locations affected by ongoing hostilities are in urgent need of food, water, shelter, fuel and access to healthcare. The United Nations and its partners have humanitarian supplies, including food, shelter materials and other basic relief items ready to be deployed to complement the local response, which has been immediate, but insufficient to address all needs, particularly for those persons in remote locations. Ongoing insecurity, travel restrictions imposed by security forces, and poor road conditions, however, are delaying the delivery of these supplies. The United Nations calls on the security forces to allow safe passage of humanitarian supplies and personnel and to facilitate the direct provision of relief assistance by the UN and its partners to all those in need in Kayah, as well as other states and regions across the country where there are urgent humanitarian needs. The United Nations reiterates the Secretary General’s call for a global ceasefire made in March 2020 and to join forces to respond to the growing risk of another outbreak of COVID-19 and other humanitarian and health challenges..."
Source/publisher: UN Country Team in Myanmar via "Reliefweb" (New York)
2021-06-08
Date of entry/update: 2021-06-09
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Topic: Food and Nutrition, Health, Protection and Human Rights, Shelter and Non-Food Items, Water Sanitation Hygiene
Topic: Food and Nutrition, Health, Protection and Human Rights, Shelter and Non-Food Items, Water Sanitation Hygiene
Description: "In the first half of May, heavy fighting between the Myanmar Armed Forces and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), particularly in Kayin, Kachin and Chin states, killed dozens of combatants and internally displaced thousands of civilians. Approximately 61,000 people have now been displaced internally in Myanmar since the military takeover on 1 February 2021, of whom some 56,000 remain displaced, representing a 10 percent increase since the beginning of May. This number includes an estimated 42,000 in south-eastern Myanmar and 14,000 in Kachin and northern Shan states. Thousands of people are also additionally believed to be internally displaced in Chin State and Sagaing Region. Since late March, some 6,900 Myanmar nationals have also sought safety from armed clashes in Thailand’s Mae Hong Son province, with 1,800 refugees currently being accommodated in temporary safety areas along the Thai-Myanmar border. In India, refugees from Myanmar continue crossing into Mizoram and Manipur to seek refuge, including as the COVID-19 outbreak in the border areas becomes worse..."
Source/publisher: UN High Commissioner for Refugees (Geneva)
2021-05-20
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-21
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Description: "The brave people of Myanmar and the National Unity Government of Myanmar greatly appreciate the People, Parliament and Government of the United Kingdom for standing with us at this critical moment in our history. While the fate of our country is in the hands of our people, strong and continued support from the UK Government and the international community is absolutely crucial to our success. Now, more than ever, the people of Myanmar need your continued friendship and support. First of all, I would like to reiterate my sincere thanks to the People, Parliament and Government of the United Kingdom for standing in solidarity and being a strong voice for the people of Myanmar. I also want to express my gratitude for the efforts of the UK on coordinating targeted sanctions against key tatmadaw personnel, tatmadaw linked companies and enterprises such as MEC and MEHL, and for providing extra funding to the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar. Additionally, I would like to further thank the UK government for taking a strong leadership role in the UN and G7 summits on behalf of the people of Myanmar, and for the recognition of CRPH and NUG as important voices of many in this nation. Truly we are the voice of over 54 million brave people who stand in solidarity against the cruel and ruthless junta. Thank you also for lending protection and support to Ambassador Kyaw Zraw Minn since he was illegally removed from office by the junta. I previously had the wonderful privilege of meeting with Minister H.E. Nigel Adams and other British Parliamentarians who reassured me that the People and Government of the UK are strongly committed and supportive of the brave people of Myanmar in our peaceful movement for freedom and democracy against the junta reign of terror. I am also looking forward very much to appearing before the British Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee on the Myanmar military coup hearing. I am proud to serve as the Minister of International Cooperation and Spokesperson for the National Unity Government. It is my job to provide you with the information and assistance that you need to support the people of Myanmar. I am always at your service. The duty of a nation’s military is to defend and protect its people. However, under the command of Min Aung Hlaing, the supposed guardians of our nation are doing precisely the opposite of their duty and continue arbitrarily murdering and detaining without cause the brave and innocent civilians of Myanmar on a daily and hourly basis. The people of Myanmar unanimously consider Min Aung Hlaing and those who report to him as terrorists. It has been 104 days since Min Aung Hlaing and his gunmen instigated this illegal coup d’etat and took the nation hostage. Since that day: • Nearly 800 civilians have been murdered, including at least 52 children; • Approximately 5,000 civilians have been detained with roughly 4,000 still remaining in detention; • Over 1,500 are being hunted by junta forces, evading arrest warrants. • Continually bombing villages in ethnic States; • The junta continues using the ASEAN Summit as a propaganda tool; • I myself am personally wanted for high treason, as are my colleagues; • Daily raids on private homes continue unabated. In a raid last week of the home of an opposition leader, for example, authorities abducted his wife and 20 day old infant when they could not find him. • There is significant evidence of the torture of those captured, including the poet Khat Thi who was detained last week and murdered within 24 hours. • They continue to try and stop the truth from getting out: o They have shutdown Internet access for weeks now, o Abolished all free media outlets, o illegitimately made free association illegal, and o they have harassed and imprisoned journalists. More than 40 journalists remain in detention in Myanmar including an international Journalist from Japan. • The violence we are seeing by the junta is both systematic and widespread. It is clear that they are engaging in crimes against humanity against the people of Myanmar. • Myanmar is quickly becoming a failed state: o Nearly a quarter million people have become displaced. o Food insecurity is rising sharply..."
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Source/publisher: Ministry of International Cooperation Myanmar
2021-05-15
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-17
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Topic: Agriculture, Health, Protection and Human Rights
Topic: Agriculture, Health, Protection and Human Rights
Description: "In northern Shan, armed clashes between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) and various ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) or amongst EAOs continue across a number of townships, resulting in population displacement and civilian casualties. In Kutkai Township, four civilians were injured on 4 May due to clashes between the MAF and the allied forces of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), according to local reports. Hostilities in the area reportedly damaged a number of houses and livestock, leaving those affected in need of shelter and livelihoods support. In Hsipaw Township, armed confrontations between the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army and the TNLA displaced around 310 people between 2-3 May. Since January 2021, a total of 12,280 people have been internally displaced in at least nine townships across northern Shan. Almost half of them already returned to their places of origin; the other half is hosted in more than 30 sites, mainly in Hsipaw, Kyaukme and Namtu townships. Humanitarian actors are making all efforts to address the immediate needs of displaced families - which include shelter, basic household items, access to healthcare, water and sanitation and food - but access and insecurity continue to hinder these operations.³..."
Source/publisher: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (New York) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
2021-05-11
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-12
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Description: "Prior to 1 February 2021, 2.8 million people were considered food insecure in Myanmar. WFP estimates that 1.5 to 3.4 million additional people could be at risk of food insecurity and in need of assistance due to the economic slowdown provoked by the political crisis in the coming three to six months. This is largely because poor people have lost jobs and income, making it harder to afford food. • Vulnerable people in urban areas affected by the economic standstill are at greatest risk, while longer term impact on food systems will also add pressure on rural populations’ food security. • In addition to job and income loss, increasing food and fuel prices, disruptions in trade, slumping economic growth, and internal displacement of ethnic minority groups bode ill for Myanmar’s poor. The latest forecast from the World Bank indicates a GDP contraction of 10% in 2021. • Market prices of rice and cooking oil have increased across all monitored markets since the start of February 2021 by 5% and 18%, respectively; however even higher increases were registered in border states including Rakhine, Kachin and Chin. Given the importance of rice and cooking oil in diets and the expenditure of poorest households on rice, continued price increases will likely further impact household food security. • Myanmar’s economy was already severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in2020; a quarter of the country’s population were poor and a further third were vulnerable to poverty. • The current situation is extremely precarious and there may be additional short- and longterm impacts on Myanmar’s food security and poverty levels..."
Source/publisher: World Food Programme (Rome)
2021-04-21
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-24
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Description: "Situation Update: Seven weeks following the military takeover on 1 February 2021, the situation in Myanmar is evolving rapidly, with a high risk of increasing food insecurity and malnutrition, particularly for the urban poor. • Food and fuel prices in Myanmar are rising, according to WFP price monitoring in February. The biggest increase was observed in northern Rakhine, while a 20 percent increase in the price of vegetable oil was recorded in Yangon. Fuel prices increased at least 20 percent across the country, which has an important knock-on effect on food prices. • Demonstrations and the general strike throughout Myanmar are likely to exacerbate the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures, which saw 80 percent of households lose income.....WFP Response: In February, WFP assisted over half a million people in Myanmar with cash-based transfers and in-kind food assistance, through four activities: Emergency Relief Assistance; Nutrition (stunting prevention and support to persons living with HIV and tuberculosis (TB) patients); School Feeding; and Livelihood Support.....Emergency Relief Assistance: • WFP’s highest priority is to maintain its monthly life-saving assistance to internally displaced people and other vulnerable populations who fully rely on it. • In February, WFP provided life-saving food and cash assistance to 349,200 people in conflictaffected states of southern Chin, Kachin, Rakhine and northern Shan. • In view of current banking challenges or potential constrained market supply, WFP is building a contingency food stock, which would allow it to provide in-kind food assistance if needed.....Nutrition: • WFP provided a comprehensive package of nutrition support for 80,300 children aged 6-59 months and pregnant and lactating women and girls; as well as some 1,350 people living with HIV and TB patients. • Continuing WFP nutrition interventions is critical to avoid short- and long-term public health crises, on top of the pandemic..."
Source/publisher: World Food Programme
2021-03-26
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-24
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Description: "The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is to mount a new food assistance operation, targeting up to 2 million vulnerable people in the poor townships in Myanmar’s main cities and other areas where population displacement has recently taken place. With the triple impact of pre-existing poverty, COVID-19 and the current political crisis, hunger and desperation are rising sharply across Myanmar. WFP estimates that within the next six months, up to 3.4 million more people will be hungry, particularly those in urban centres. “More and more poor people have lost their jobs and are unable to afford food,” said WFP Myanmar Country Director Stephen Anderson. “A concerted response is required now to alleviate immediate suffering, and to prevent an alarming deterioration in food security.” Already, there are signs of families in and around Yangon being pushed to the edge, skipping meals, eating less nutritious food and going into debt, just to survive. WFP’s response in Yangon will target 10 of the poorest townships, many of which are home to large informal settlements. WFP is also monitoring the situation in other parts of the country, and is ready to provide assistance to affected communities, including those newly displaced by armed conflict, if required. The latest WFP market monitoring shows that in Yangon and across the country, the average rice price has increased by 5% since January, and the average cooking oil price has increased by 18% since February. In Yangon, an up to 25% increase in cooking oil price was also recorded. The increases are particularly high in some border states including Rakhine, Kachin and Chin. In Kachin state, for example, rice prices have risen by up to 43% in some townships, and cooking oil by 32%. The price of fuel has increased by roughly 30% nationwide. Despite the volatile situation, WFP has maintained its humanitarian assistance to internally displaced people and other vulnerable populations affected by long-running conflict. In March, WFP assistance reached 374,000 people in conflict affected areas of southern Chin, Kachin, Rakhine and northern Shan states. In the coming months, the number of people WFP assists will nearly triple – from 1.3 million to 3.3 million. To do this, US$106 million is required urgently. “To prevent a large-scale humanitarian crisis unfolding in front of our eyes, we must step up. We count on the international community to continue standing with the people of Myanmar,” said Anderson..."
Source/publisher: World Food Programme(Rome)
2021-04-22
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-24
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Description: "Two townships in northern Myanmar’s Kachin state face shortages of food staples, including rice, and rising prices, after China shut down border checkpoints in an effort to contain its coronavirus outbreak, a local lawmaker said Tuesday. More than 20,000 residents of Chipwi and Hsawlaw townships will face shortages from now until China opens the border crossings, closed until the annual monsoon season begins in late May, said Khaw Marwu, a legislator from the Lisu National Development Party who represents the Hsawlaw constituency. The two cold, mountainous regions along with Kawnglanghpu township lie in remote areas that are difficult to access as roads are rare, he said. Residents earn their living by farming, hunting, and selling forestry products. The Myanmar military and a number of armed groups are present in the region, including the rebel Kachin Independence Army (KIA); the National Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K), an armed group that was converted into a Border Guard Force under Myanmar military command; and the Lisu and Rawang militias..." ..
Source/publisher: "RFA" (USA)
2020-02-25
Date of entry/update: 2020-02-26
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Description: "Amid fighting between Myanmar and Arakan Army (AA) forces in northern Rakhine state, the global humanitarian organization International Rescue Committee (IRC) said it has decided to end its food program in the state on account of the government’s restrictions on staff movements. On Jan. 6, the IRC ended its Tat Lan program that provided sustainable food security and improved nutrition and livelihoods to villages in Rakhine’s Myebon, Pauktaw, Kyaukphyu, and Minbya townships. An announcement by the organization said the program ran for more than five years and had provided livelihood and food security to more than 56,000 people, but that the Rakhine state government instructed it to cease operations in 2018. IRC staffers were denied travel permission because they were recruiting journalists, said Win Myint, Rakhine minister of municipal affairs. “They were recruiting the journalists, [and] we didn’t know what their intention was,” he said. “This was something inappropriate. These activities were not include in a memorandum of understanding. That’s why, we stopped the operations.”..."
Source/publisher: "Radio Free Asia (RFA)" (USA)
2020-01-09
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-09
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Description: "• Vulnerable communities in Burma lack access to sufficient nutritious food and livelihood opportunities due to poverty, conflict, natural disasters, and movement restrictions. Nearly 30 percent of children younger than five years of age suffer from stunting, a common indicator of chronic malnutrition. In addition, recurring extreme weather events—including cyclones, earthquakes, and floods—often lead to population displacement, destruction of crops, loss of livelihood opportunities, and restricted access to markets, the UN World Food Program (WFP) reports. • In August 2017, clashes between armed actors and the Government of Burma military, as well as subsequent military operations in Burma’s Rakhine State caused mass population displacement, including many individuals fleeing to Bangladesh. Clashes between the Government of Burma and the Arakan Army in Chin and Rakhine states since December 2018 have resulted in additional population displacement and access restrictions that continue to impede the ability of humanitarian actors to respond to the needs of vulnerable people. • In Burma’s Kachin, Kayin, Rakhine, and Shan states, nearly 824,000 conflict-affected people are experiencing acute food insecurity and more than 180,000 children and women require life-saving nutrition services, the UN reports. Displaced communities lack access to livelihood opportunities and essential services due to movement restrictions and rely heavily on external assistance to meet their food needs. Lack of access to crisis-affected areas continues to hinder the provision of essential humanitarian assistance..."
Source/publisher: US Agency for International Development (USA) via Reliefweb (USA)
2019-10-23
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-24
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Description: "Rakhine: Insecurity continued in September with recurrent skirmishes and new displacements in Sittwe, Myebon and Minbya townships and various areas in northern Rakhine State. In northern Rakhine, WFP extended its emergency relief assistance to 4,100 newly displaced people, in addition to 94,800 vulnerable people from 146 Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu villages in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships. WFP also supported the nutrition of 20,300 children aged 24-59 months and pregnant and lactating women (PLW) with fortified blended food in northern Rakhine. In central Rakhine, a total of 130,600 food-insecure people continued to receive life-saving food or cash assistance from WFP. This included over 2,500 newly displaced people affected by the ongoing armed conflict. In addition, WFP also continued to provide food assistance to 4,400 beneficiaries in Rathedaung Township who are vulnerable to the lean season. WFP’s nutrition assistance reached 5,400 PLW and 24,900 children aged 24-59 months in central Rakhine. Kachin: WFP continued to assist 43,300 displaced people in Kachin State using cash transfers and Emoney. WFP also supported 234 IDPs from four townships with six months of cash transfers, as they returned to their places of origin. WFP also provided nutrition assistance for 1,930 PLW and children aged 6-23 months. Shan: WFP regained access to conflict-affected communities in Kokang Self-Administered Zone (except the northernmost part because of the security situation). Ongoing armed clashes in Kutkai, Nant San and Kyaukme townships caused the new and temporary displacement of 1,000 people. Emergency relief distributions continued to reach 7,100 displaced people from northern Shan State and 3,200 people in conflict-affected villages of the KoKang SelfAdministered Zone. WFP provided nutrition assistance for 2,300 PLW and children aged 6-23 months across Shan State..."
Source/publisher: World Food Programme (WFP) (Italy) via Reliefweb (USA)
2019-09-30
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-24
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Description: "ကီၢ်ကၠီၣ်တဲၣ်-ကီၢ်ပယီၤကီၢ်ဆၢ ဘၣ်ကီဘၣ်ခဲ ဒဲက၀ီၤသ့ၣ်တဖၣ်အပူၤ (The Border Consortium-TBC )လၢအဆီၣ်ထဲမွၤစၢၤ ဒဲက၀ီၤဖိသ့ၣ်တဖၣ် ဖဲတလါအံၤအတီၢ်ပူၤ သုးကျဲၤ၀ဲ လၢကစူးကါအါထီၣ် (Food card ခးက့) အဂ့ၢ်န့ၣ် ဒဲက၀ီၤ ဘၣ်မူဘၣ်ဒါတဖၣ်တဲ၀ဲန့ၣ်လီၤႉ ဖဲအပူၤကွံာ် ၂၀၁၆နံၣ်၊ လါယူၤလံန့ၣ် (TBC) စးထီၣ်သူကွၢ်၀ဲ ( Food card ခးက့) အံၤလၢ ဒဲက၀ီၤ ၂ဘ့ၣ် လၢအမ့ၢ် နိၣ်ဖိဒီး ထါမ်ဟ့ၣ်ဒဲက၀ီၤခံဘ့ၣ်အပူၤလီၤႉ စးထီၣ်က့ၤ တနံၣ်အံၤလါဖ့ၤဘြူၤအါရံၤအပူၤ ဒဲက၀ီၤလၢအအိၣ်တ့ၢ် တဖၣ်န့ၣ် ကသူအါထီၣ်၀ဲအဂ့ၢ် ကညီဘၣ်ကီဘၣ်ခဲကမံးတံာ်=( KRC)ၦၤပၢၤလီၢ်ဆ့ၣ်နီၤ စီၤရီပၠဘၢးထွ့တဲဘၣ်ခ့ၣ်အဲးစံၣ်-ကညီတၢ်ကစီၣ်န့ၣ်လီၤႉ..."
Creator/author: စးအဲၣ်ဆူ
Source/publisher: KIC (Karen Information Center)
2019-02-20
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-25
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Sgaw Karen
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Description: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: "Regardless of the outcomes in Burma?s first elections for twenty years, the incoming government and international community cannot afford to ignore the deteriorating socio-economic conditions that plague the country any longer. The urgency is particularly acute in eastern Burma where protracted armed conflict and restrictions on humanitarian access have exacerbated the legacy of chronic poverty. The Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) has been collaborating with ethnic community-based organisations to document conditions in eastern Burma since 2002. This year, apart from updating information about displacement across six states and divisions, poverty assessments were also conducted in six townships. The poverty assessment was developed in consultation with humanitarian agencies based in Rangoon/Yangon as a contribution towards developing a credible, nation-wide database of indicators for household vulnerability. Government statistics disguise the extent of suffering and suggest relatively low levels of poverty in eastern Burma. This is because surveys are not allowed in some areas and pockets of extreme vulnerability are not taken into account when data is only disaggregated to the State or Division level. However, the indicators for vulnerability in eastern Burma documented in this report are comparable to the worst findings that international agencies have reported anywhere in Burma. Impoverishment is particularly severe in the rural areas of Kyaukgyi Township where half of the sample population reported displacement, forced labour and restrictions on movement had caused shocks to livelihoods during the previous six months. Analysis of the demographic structure in eastern Burma reveals high birth and child mortality rates as well as low life expectancy. There is a high degree of dependency on a relatively small working age population, and almost half of the population surveyed has no proof of citizenship. These characteristics are more comparable to the vulnerability experienced in northern Rakhine State than national averages. Offi cial fi gures suggest that poverty rates in Kachin State and Magway Division are amongst the worst in the nation. However, this survey indicates that basic living conditions, such as access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation facilities, are generally worse in eastern Burma. The lack of durable shelter resulting from protracted conflict in eastern Burma resembles conditions in the Irrawaddy Delta a year after Cyclone Nargis wreaked havoc. Government statistics claim the average farming household owns 6 acres of land, but this survey found 64% of rural households have access to less than two acres of land and only 13% have access to irrigated fields. These seemingly contradictory fi gures reflect large inequalities with regards to land tenure in Burma. The labour intensive nature of agriculture is indicated by over 80% of farmers lacking farm machinery and being dependent on simple tools. Official data suggests that northern Shan State suffers from food insecurity more than most regions in Burma, but this survey fi nds the situation in south eastern Burma is comparable. Three quarters of the households in south eastern Burma had experienced food shortages during the month prior to being surveyed, and a similar proportion were preparing for a gap in rice supply of at least three months prior to the next harvest. Food consumption analysis identifi es that 60% of households surveyed have an inadequate diet, while acute malnutrition rates amongst children suggest a serious public health problem. While numerous indicators reflect severe vulnerabilities in eastern Burma, there is also evidence that subsistence livelihoods are highly resilient. The main source of staple food for three quarters of households is either their own rice crop or social networks, while access to cash income is more limited than elsewhere in the country. The low dependence on trade and high degrees of self reliance are also reflected by a relatively low proportion of household expenditures on food. This would generally be considered an indicator for lower levels of poverty, but comparisons are distorted because of increased restrictions on movement and reduced access to markets in the conflict-affected areas of eastern Burma. Impoverishment in eastern Burma is a bi-product of militarisation and a key factor contributing to displacement. During the past year, SPDC attempts to pressure ethnic ceasefi re groups to transform into Border Guard Forces have increased insecurity in areas which were relatively stable. The main ceasefi re parties have resisted the pressure and reiterated calls for a review of the 2008 Constitution and political dialogue to promote national reconciliation. In response, the Burmese Army has forcibly conscripted and extorted villagers to form ethnic militia units to act as proxy forces in case ceasefire agreements collapse. This year?s survey estimates at least 73,000 people were forced to leave their homes in eastern Burma between August 2009 and July 2010. The highest rates of displacement were reported in northern Karen areas, where over 26,000 villagers were forced from their homes by Burmese Army artillery attacks against civilians and by forced eviction orders. More than 8,000 villagers in southern Mon areas also fl ed from their homes as a result of instability and conflict induced by the Border Guard Force conversion orders and by forced relocations. TBBC?s partner agencies have documented the destruction, forced relocation or abandonment of more than 3,600 civilian settlements in eastern Burma since 1996, including 113 villages and hiding sites during the past year. Coercive practices by armed forces have also undermined livelihoods and contributed to at least 446,000 people being internally displaced in the rural areas of eastern Burma at the end of 2010. As this conservative estimate only covers 37 townships and discounts urban areas, it is likely that well over half a million internally displaced persons remain in eastern Burma. Military appointees and proxy party representatives are expected to control government after the elections, and there is no indication that political indifference to human suffering will change in the immediate future. The political challenge remains to press and engage with the national authorities for a genuine process of national reconciliation and the rights-based rule of law. However, there is an urgent need to scale up poverty alleviation and humanitarian relief efforts and there are capacities within Rangoon and border-based aid agencies to absorb additional funding immediately. The humanitarian and development challenge is to ensure that aid funding and programming are based on needs and vulnerabilities rather than political agendas."
Source/publisher: Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC)
2010-10-28
Date of entry/update: 2010-10-28
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 8.05 MB
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Description: "International reporting of the large-scale migration of those leaving Burma in search of work abroad has highlighted the perils for migrant during travel and in host countries. However, there has been a lack of research in the root causes of this migration. Identifying the root causes of migration has important implications for the assistance and protection of these migrants. Drawing on over 150 interviews with villagers in rural Burma and those from Burma who have sought employment abroad, this report identifies the exploitative abuse underpinning poverty and livelihoods vulnerability in Burma which, in turn, are major factors motivating individuals to leave home and seek work abroad..." _Thailand-based interviewees explained to KHRG how exploitative abuses increased poverty, livelihoods vulnerability and food insecurity for themselves and their communities in Burma. These issues were in turn cited as central push factors compelling them to leave their homes and search for work abroad. In some cases, interviewees explained that the harmful effects of exploitative abuse were compounded by environmental and economic factors such as flood and drought and limited access to decent wage labour.[17] While the individuals interviewed by KHRG in Thailand would normally be classified as ?economic migrants?, the factors which they cited as motivating their choice to migrate make it clear that SPDC abuse made it difficult for them to survive in their home areas. Hence, these people decided to become migrants not simply because they were lured to Thailand by economic incentives, but because they found it impossible to survive at home in Burma. Clearly, the distinction between push and pull factors is blurred in the case of Burmese migrants. The concept of pull factors for migrants is further complicated because migrants are not merely seeking better jobs abroad, but are instead pulled to places like Thailand and Malaysia in order to access protection. For refugees and IDPs, protection is a service that is often provided by government bodies, UN agencies and international NGOs. For refugees in particular, protection is often primarily understood to mean legal protection against refoulement - defined as the expulsion of a person to a place where they would face persecution. Beyond legal protection against refoulement, aid agencies have implemented specific forms of rights-based assistance, such as gender-based violence programmes, as part of their protection mandates. However, for migrants from Burma the act of leaving home is overwhelmingly a self-initiated protection strategy through which individuals can ensure their and their families? basic survival in the face of persistent exploitative and other abuse in their home areas. This broader understanding of protection goes beyond legal protection against refoulement and the top-down delivery of rights-based assistance by aid agencies. It involves actions taken by individuals on their own accord to lessen or avoid abuse and its harmful effects at home.[18] KHRG has chosen to use the term self-initiated protection strategy, rather than a more generic concept like ?survival strategy?, in order to highlight the political agency of those who choose such migration. By seeing this protection in political terms, one can better understand both the abusive underpinnings of migration from Burma as well as the relevance of such migration to the protection mandates of governments, UN agencies and international NGOs currently providing support to conventional refugee populations. Understanding protection in this way presents opportunities for external support for the many self-initiated protection strategies (including efforts to secure employment without exploitation, support dependent family members, enrol children in school and avoid arrest, extortion and deportation) which migrant workers regularly use._
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group Regional & Thematic Reports (KHRG #2009-03)
2009-07-10
Date of entry/update: 2009-11-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "Having initially begun construction a decade ago, the SPDC has this year completed the Papun section of a roadway which extends northwards from the east-west Kyauk Kyi to Saw Hta vehicle road towards the SPDC army camp at Buh Hsa Kee in southern Toungoo District. While still incomplete on the Toungoo side of the border the Papun section effectively cuts the northern half of Lu Thaw township into two east-west sections and forms a dangerous and difficult to cross barrier for those civilians fleeing from ongoing military attacks against their communities. Nevertheless villagers in Lu Thaw and other areas of Papun continue to evade SPDC forces and the district currently has the highest number of internally displaced people in hiding out of any area of eastern Burma. Notwithstanding the creative and courageous strategies which these villagers have adopted in order to avoid the army columns which continue to hunt them down, they remain in a precarious situation; one which has only heightened in its severity with the completion of the Papun section of the north-south vehicle road and the upgrading of other roadways further south..."
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2007-F10)
2007-11-16
Date of entry/update: 2009-11-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "While the rainy season is now underway in Karen state, Burma Army soldiers are continuing with military operations against civilian communities in Toungoo District. Local villagers in this area have had to leave their homes and agricultural land in order to escape into the jungle and avoid Burma Army attacks. These displaced villagers have, in turn, encountered health problems and food shortages, as medical supplies and services are restricted and regular relocation means any food supplies are limited to what can be carried on the villagers? backs alone. Yet these displaced communities have persisted in their effort to maintain their lives and dignity while on the run; building new shelters in hiding and seeking to address their livelihood and social needs despite constraints. Those remaining under military control, by contrast, face regular demands for forced labour, as well as other forms of extortion and arbitrary ?taxation?. This report examines military attacks, forced labour and movement restrictions and their implications in Toungoo District between March and June 2008..."
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group Field Reports (KHRG #2008-F7)
2008-07-01
Date of entry/update: 2009-11-01
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "SPDC abuses against civilians continue in northern Karen State, especially in the Lu Thaw and Dweh Loh townships of Papun District. Abuses have been particularly harsh in Lu Thaw, most of which has been designated a "black area" by the SPDC and so subject to constant attacks by Burma Army forces. Villagers who decide to remain in their home areas are often forced to live in hiding and not only face constant threats of violence by the SPDC, but also a worsening food crisis due to the SPDC?s disruption of planting cycles. This report covers events in Papun District from August 2008 to January 2009..."
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group Field Reports (KHRG #2009-F2)
2009-02-04
Date of entry/update: 2009-10-31
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "This report describes SPDC operations in and around internally displaced person hiding sites in Lu Thaw Township, Papun District. Villagers in this area continue to face constant physical threats and food insecurity caused by SPDC patrols-indeed, residents have been prevented from consistently accessing their farm fields for so long that they now face a dire food crisis. This report also details the rape of a 13-year-old girl by an SPDC soldier in Dweh Loh Township and the local military commander?s attempt to cover up the incident. This report examines cases of SPDC abuse from December 2008 to March 2009..."
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group Field Reports (KHRG #2009-F8)
2009-04-11
Date of entry/update: 2009-10-31
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "The SPDC has continued to militarise larger and larger swaths of Toungoo District under the false banner of ?development?, subjecting local villagers to forced labour and extortion and forcing others to flee into hiding. Life is hard for villagers both under and outside of SPDC control: villagers living within SPDC-controlled areas are often forced to work for the SPDC rather than focus on their own livelihoods while villagers in hiding continue to struggle with a shortage of food. Ultimately, many residents of Toungoo face a mounting food crisis that is a direct result of SPDC policy. This report discusses incidents that occurred between May and September 2008..."
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group Field Reports (KHRG #2009-F1)
2009-01-13
Date of entry/update: 2009-10-31
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "This report documents the situation for villagers in Toungoo District, both in areas under SPDC control and in areas contested by the KNLA and home to villagers actively evading SDPC control. For villagers in the former, movement restrictions, forced labour and demands for material support continue unabated, and continue to undermine their attempts to address basic needs. Villagers in hiding, meanwhile, report that the threat of Burma Army patrols, though slightly reduced, remains sufficient to disrupt farming and undermine food security. This report includes incidents occurring from January to August 2009..."
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group Field Reports (KHRG #2009-F16)
2009-09-28
Date of entry/update: 2009-10-28
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 473.59 KB
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Description: "As the 2009 rainy season draws to a close, displaced villagers in northern Papun District?s Lu Thaw Township face little prospect of harvesting sufficient paddy to support them over the next year. After four straight agricultural cycles disrupted by Burma Army patrols, which continue to shoot villagers on sight and enforce travel and trade restrictions designed to limit sale of food to villagers in hiding, villagers in northern Papun face food shortages more severe than anything to hit the area since the Burma Army began attempts to consolidate control of the region in 1997. Consequently, the international donor community should immediately provide emergency support to aid groups that can access IDP areas in Lu Thaw Township. In southern Papun, meanwhile, villagers report ongoing abuses and increased activity by the SPDC and DKBA in Dwe Loh and Bu Thoh townships. In these areas, villagers report abuses including movement restrictions, forced labour, looting, increased placement of landmines in civilian areas, summary executions and other forms of arbitrary abuse. This report documents abuses occurring between May and October 2009..."
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG #2009-F18)
2009-10-15
Date of entry/update: 2009-10-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Karen
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Description: Conclusion: "Most relevant reports and surveys I have been able to access state essentially that people from all parts of Burma leave home either in obedience to a direct relocation order from the military or civil authorities or as a result of a process whereby coercive measures imposed by the authorities play a major role in forcing down household incomes to the point where the family cannot survive. At this point, leaving home may seem to be the only option. These factors, which include direct forced relocation, forced labour, extortion and land confiscation, operate in, are affected by and exacerbate a situation of widespread poverty, rising inflation and declining real incomes. In other words, people leave home due to a combination of coercive and economic factors. One has to consider the whole process leading to displacement rather than a single, immediate cause. Where coercive measures, as described in this article, are involved, the resulting population movement falls under the Guiding Principles even if the situation that actually triggers movement, frequently food insecurity, may also be described in economic terms."
Creator/author: Andrew Bosson
Source/publisher: Andrew Bosson
2008-03-17
Date of entry/update: 2008-03-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 45.63 KB
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Description: This report is a preliminary exploration of forced migration/internal displacement in Burma/Myanmar in two main areas. The first is the status in terms of international standards, specifically those embodied in the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, of the people who leave home not because of conflict or relocation orders, but as a result of a range of coercive measures which drive down incomes to the point that the household economy collapses and people have no choice but to leave home. Some analysts describe this form of population movement as "economic migration" since it has an economic dimension. The present report, however, looks at the coercive nature of the pressures which contribute to the collapse of the household economy and argues that their compulsory and irresistible nature brings this kind of population movement squarely into the field of forced migration, even though the immediate cause of leaving home may also be described in economic terms... The second area is geographic. The report looks at those parts of Burma not covered by the IDP Surveys of the Thailand Burma Border Consortium, which concentrate on the conflict and post-conflict areas of Eastern Burma. It hardly touches on conflict-induced displacement since most parts of Burma covered in these pages, including the major cities, are government-controlled, and there is little overt military conflict in these States and Divisions. Within these parts of the country, the report looks at the coercive measures referred to above. It also carries reports of direct relocation by government agents through which whole rural and urban communities are removed from their homes and either ordered to go to specific places, or else left to their own devices. The report annexes contain more than 500 pages of documentation on forced displacement and causes of displacement in Arakan, Chin, Kachin and Eastern and Northern Shan States as well as Irrawaddy, Magwe, Mandalay, West Pegu, Rangoon and Sagaing Divisions. It also has a section on displacement within urban and peri-urban areas.
Creator/author: Andrew Bosson
Source/publisher: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC)
2007-05-00
Date of entry/update: 2007-05-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 716.88 KB
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Description: TABLE OF CONTENTS:- 1. Food Security from a Rights-based Perspective; 2. Local Observations from the States and Divisions of Eastern Burma:- 2.1 Tenasserim Division (Committee for Internally Displaced Karen Persons); 2.2 Mon State (Mon Relief and Development Committee); 2.3 Karen State (Karen Human Rights Group) 2.4 Eastern Pegu Division (Karen Office of Relief and Development); 2.5 Karenni State (Karenni Social Welfare Committee); 2.6 Shan State (Shan Human Rights Foundation)... 3. Local Observations of Issues Related to Food Security:- 3.1 Crop Destruction as a Weapon of War (Committee for Internally Displaced Karen Persons); 3.2 Border Areas Development (Karen Environmental & Social Action Network); 3.3 Agricultural Management(Burma Issues); 3.4 Land Management (Independent Mon News Agency) 3.5 Nutritional Impact of Internal Displacement (Backpack Health Workers Team); 3.6 Gender-based Perspectives (Karen Women?s Organisation)... 4. Field Surveys on Internal Displacement and Food Security... Appendix 1 : Burma?s International Obligations and Commitments... Appendix 2 : Burma?s National Legal Framework... Appendix 3 : Acronyms, Measurements and Currencies.... "...Linkages between militarisation and food scarcity in Burma were established by civilian testimonies from ten out of the fourteen states and divisions to a People?s Tribunal in the late 1990s. Since then the scale of internal displacement has dramatically increased, with the population in eastern Burma during 2002 having been estimated at 633,000 people, of whom approximately 268,000 were in hiding and the rest were interned in relocation sites. This report attempts to complement these earlier assessments by appraising the current relationship between food security and internal displacement in eastern Burma. It is hoped that these contributions will, amongst other impacts, assist the Asian Human Rights Commission?s Permanent People?s Tribunal to promote the right to food and rule of law in Burma... Personal observations and field surveys by community-based organisations in eastern Burma suggest that a vicious cycle linking the deprivation of food security with internal displacement has intensified. Compulsory paddy procurement, land confiscation, the Border Areas Development program and spiraling inflation have induced displacement of the rural poor away from state-controlled areas. In war zones, however, the state continues to destroy and confiscate food supplies in order to force displaced villagers back into state-controlled areas. An image emerges of a highly vulnerable and frequently displaced rural population, who remain extremely resilient in order to survive based on their local knowledge and social networks. Findings from the observations and field surveys include the following:..."
Source/publisher: Burmese Border Consortium
2003-10-00
Date of entry/update: 2003-11-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 821.38 KB
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Description: "This report consists of an Introduction and Executive Summary, followed by a detailed analysis of the situation supported by quotes from interviews and excerpts from SPDC order documents sent to villages in the region. As mentioned above, an Annex to this report containing the full text of the remaining interviews can be seen by following the link from the table of contents or from KHRG upon approved request..." Forced Relocations, Killings and the Systematic Starvation of Villagers in Dooplaya District
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group Regional & Thematic Reports (KHRG #2000-02)
2000-03-31
Date of entry/update: 2003-06-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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