Pearl Township is the worst-hit township in the country, and locals from around 50 villages fleeing the war say they need help with food and shelter.
This includes locals from 20 villages burned by the military council.
From January 31 this year to mid-March this year, nine villages in Pale Township were burnt to the ground. With the exception of the villagers of Pan and Hlawkar, the villagers have not been able to return to their villages.
Residents of Pan Ywa were able to return to the village but could not rebuild the burnt house. A resident of Pan Ywa, whose house was set on fire, told RFA that he was forced to take refuge in nearby forests due to security concerns.
"I myself am a family fleeing the fires," he said. We are homeless in the village and there are about 20 households including me. Under the trees in the forest. Ordinary tents. It's been over 50 days with shelters. Because pearls are in the Aya region, it is very hot in the afternoon. It is very cold at night. As a result, children Older women are more likely to have poor health. I am also suffering from illness. ”
A local resident in Pearl said that the refugees were also facing water shortages.
“Water is scarce. When summer comes, for example, villages that run on electricity and water when there is a power outage in a raft. In those villages, water is difficult. The villages that will be difficult now are Kaing Dwin, which was burnt down. "Thapye Aye, Naw Yoe, Tone Kan and Chaung Oo are having difficulty finding water there."
The military council troops sent food and relief supplies to the refugees in Pearl Township on the Mandalay-Monywa road. A black leopard group member, Po Thar, said that checkpoints were being set up on Pakokku Road.
Local PDF groups, including the Black Leopard, are assisting refugees. "I hope to get help for that," he said.
"Because pearls are in the Aya region, it is very hot in the afternoon and very cold at night."
Major Naga, the leader of the Burmese Royal Dragon Army in Sagaing Division, told RFA that an organization was being set up to help the refugees.
"Food is our comrades-in-arms," he said. Some local charities are also involved. The name of the group was not given. A secret hobby from the village. We raise money by collecting people who can make sacrifices. I find clothes. I find some food. They are looking for it. "
As of March 16, according to Data For Myanmar, 4,426 houses have been set on fire in Sagaing Division. Among them, 2,021 houses were burnt in Pearl Township.
To make the NUG more effective, Naga suggested setting up a public administration body, through which it would act as a relief and resettlement center for war refugees.
The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management (NUG) of the National Unity Government (NUG) visited Sagaing Division last February. It has announced that it has helped 100,000 war refugees in Kayin and Kayah states.
A refugee from Pan Ywa, Pearl Township, said that although some cash from the National Unity Government (NUG) was provided for food, it was not enough.
Dr Win Myat Aye, Minister for Humanitarian and Disaster Management of the National Unity Government (NUG)
“For Pearl Township alone, from January this year until today, the public service has been able to provide 40367350 lakh kyats. It may not be possible to cover all the refugee camps, but it is to some extent supportive. ”
NUG's Minister for Humanitarian and Disaster Management Dr Win Myat Aye appealed to the Japanese government and people on March 18 to help the growing number of people fleeing the war, who are increasingly focused on helping the people and increasing their needs.
Temporary tents for these refugees Clothing Food and financial assistance are needed, and aid prices are more than double in Pearl Township, and aid is expected to be mobilized soon.
Serbia exports arms to Burmese army
In the conflict zone, weapons made by Serbia, a landlocked country in southeastern Europe, have been found in recent years, and rockets have been shipped to Burma in the days before and after the military coup. This was reported by BIRN-BalkanInsight in Eastern and Southern Europe.
Hundreds of Serbia-made missiles were carrying hundreds of missiles on board a Serbia-Rada private jet departing a major airport just minutes after midnight on February 9, 2021, a week after the military coup.
The plane landed in Myanmar after a stopover in Egypt, the report said.
Photos Based on videos and documents in collaboration with Myanmar Witness, the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network; BIRN- BalkanInsight News Agency; Serbian Intelligence Agency CINS and Lighthouse Report identify Serbia missiles exported to Myanmar
According to the Serbian Ministry of Commerce, 2,524 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) shipped two 2,024 guided missiles from Myanmar to Burma between January and February 2021. US $ 5 The Serbian state-owned import-export company says it has exported more than သန်း 4.75 million worth of missiles.
The first batch of 880 missiles was shipped on January 23 before the military coup, and the second batch of 1,644 missiles was shipped.
In 2015, Serbia and the Myanmar Ministry of Defense signed a cooperation agreement. From 2018 to 2021, Serbia will export an estimated $ 23 million worth of weapons to the Burmese military, according to the UN Comtrade database.
Bombs and ammunition were fired at the Burmese army from Serbia. Shipwrecked torpedoes; Missiles Bullets; According to Ministry of Commerce documents, the aircraft was carrying ammunition and ammunition.
A military council spokesman, General Zaw Min Tun, said arms were being sold in all countries and that members of the military used mostly locally made ammunition.
"The arms trade is being sold in every country," he said. The United States is also the world's largest arms seller. Chinese Russia followed. Sale of machine guns; In terms of non-sale, most of the weapons held by security forces in Burma for defense are Burmese-made.
BIRN, Myanmar Witness, Lighthouse Report and CINS could not confirm whether the military council used the weapons, but BalkanInsight reports that in January this year, airstrikes similar to those used by Serbian guided missiles were used in airstrikes on civilian areas in Loikaw, Kayah State.
Justice for Myanmar, a joint venture between the Burmese military and business people, said the arms dealer between Serbia and the Burmese military was MCM - Myanmar Chemical & Machinery Co. Aung Hlaing Oo, the founder of Myanmar Chemical and Machinery Co., Ltd., was mentioned on September 8 last year.
The list of Serbian-made weapons proposals submitted to the Myanmar Air Force in 2019 includes rocket-propelled grenades, Missiles The free-fall bombs are said to contain a series of surface-to-air grenades.
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