Conflict causing food shortages for 2,000 Karen villagers
Posted on April 20, 2009
Filed Under Burma news, Karen news | Comments Off
Over 2,000 Karen villagers are facing severe food shortages due to the ongoing presence of Burma Army troops and their allies from the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), a Karen splinter group.
The Burma Army has been active in the area just south of Mae Sot, attacking bases belonging to the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). Mae Sot based journalist Dan Pedersen reports 2,111 people from four villages are facing a shortage of food, and are surviving only on rice.
The area, near Umpheim Refugee camp and the Thai town of Umphang is rich in agriculture. But, villages are being forced to provide five porters a day to the government forces.
Meanwhile, the ongoing conflict has disrupted work on local contract farms, while tough economic conditions have prompted Thai investors to decide not to pay wages to local farmers. The wages in the form of rice would normally last villagers for the whole year.
According to the Irrawaddy, the area has seen clashes between the KNLA and government forces for the last four days.
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