Background
In October 2022, this analytical unit reported several nearly simultaneous State Administration Council (SAC) orders to close IDP camps in Rakhine, Chin, and Shan States, with most deadlines given as the end of October.[1] Responses to the SAC’s closure orders, some of which were detailed in the November 2022 follow up report, varied widely depending on context.[2] Multiple sources who spoke to this analytical unit in November suggested that this could be part of a nationwide camp closure policy,[3] raising questions for IDPs and responders in other areas with large-scale and protracted displacement — particularly in Kachin State. In early December, rumours suggested that the SAC’s General Administration Department (GAD) intended to close all camps in Myitkyina Township; however, no camp leaders who spoke to this analytical unit at that time had received any order to close their IDP camps, nor heard of others who had.
On 24 February, Frontier Myanmar reported in its Daily Briefing email that IDPs across Kachin State — many of whom have been experiencing protracted displacement for more than a decade — are now making preparations to return to their villages, citing deteriorating conditions in camps, where livelihood participation is becoming increasingly limited, and scarcities of food and medicine are reportedly becoming widespread. Local religious-based groups are currently aiding IDPs in forming resettlement committees, as well as pre-emptively working to improve living conditions in the villages to which IDPs are expected to relocate; however, the ever-fluctuating tensions of armed groups in these areas make these returns fraught with safety and security risks for returnees.[4]
Throughout February, this analytical unit spoke to IDP camp leaders, residents, and other sources near IDPs to look at the current status of several specific camps in Kachin State. The camp leaders who spoke to this analytical unit described mounting pressure from GAD staff to close IDP camps. While none reported having received direct orders for the IDP camps to close and relocate as of yet, they also reported the impression that conversations with GAD staff and trends in Rakhine, Chin, and Shan States suggest that this is imminent. As such, many are taking preparations to close their camps before they believe they will be forced to do so, and encountering a range of challenges in that process. Key among the concerns expressed by IDP leaders is that the little assistance they currently receive will be lost when they lose their official IDP status, and they are not yet prepared to support themselves.
As this update is based on a small sample size, the observations detailed here should not be assumed to be comprehensive or representative. Rather, this snapshot illustrates some perceptions of community members, and the value of the qualitative approach is in the context-specific knowledge it provides.
For further analysis, detailed response implications, and recommendations for humanitarian responders regarding the SAC’s push to close formal IDP camps across Myanmar, please refer to the original report in this series: Situation Update: Camp Closure Crisis.
Current Situation
Myitkyina Township
Tat Kone San Pya Baptist Church IDP Camp
Camp Data:[5]
Population: ~ 240
Households: ~ 47
Area(s) of origin: Waingmaw, Hpakant, Sumprabum Townships
Displaced since: 2011
One camp leader who spoke to this analytical unit on 6 February reported that the GAD did not order a forced closure of the camp, but allegedly called a monthly meeting to discuss returns with IDPs, and ultimately offered three options: resettlement under the GAD’s plan, return to areas of origin under the GAD’s plan, or independent plans for departure by March 2023. Some IDPs had registered for a GAD resettlement plan years ago, around 2018, but reportedly did not receive any follow up.[6]
Before the GAD officially forces them to resettle, a local response actor at this site and IDPs have reportedly made a decision to leave the camp during the coming dry season (March to May). The response actor is planning to support the return or relocation of the IDPs, many of whom have been in the camp for more than 10 years, but the most significant challenge is IDPs whose original villages were destroyed by armed violence in the intervening decade and thus have no place to return to, and those who cannot afford to buy land elsewhere. Those who are old or disabled will apparently remain at the current camp due to concerns that armed violence could break out at resettlement sites, from which they would be unable to flee. The response actor reportedly plans to provide 500,000 Myanmar Kyat (~238 USD) per household.[7]
Pa Dauk Myaing (Pa La Na) – II IDP Camp
Camp Data:[8]
Population: ~ 1198
Households: ~ 213
Area(s) of origin: Injangyang and Puta-O Townships
Displaced since: 2018
A camp leader who spoke to this analytical unit on 8 February reported they have not received official camp closure orders from the GAD, but the GAD has collected IDP lists three times since September 2022. Most of the IDPs are from Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO)-controlled areas and areas where tensions with the SAC remain high, and they report feeling afraid to return home or relocate for fear of having to flee again if armed violence breaks out. The KIO administrator in IDPs’ areas of origin apparently informed them in late 2022 to await instructions from KIO headquarters regarding their resettlement or return due to these tensions. There is reportedly low trust in GAD’s resettlement plans, and many IDPs have not yet accepted offers to relocate to land given by the GAD. IDPs are reportedly not ready to leave the camp and have made little to no preparations, due to confusion about what to do or where to go, but have expressed worry that the GAD will officially order the camp to be closed in the coming months. In the meantime, IDPs reportedly continue to receive food and health support from at least one international and one local responder. Many of these IDPs work as day labourers in urban areas, and some are migrant workers in mining areas; however, daily income is reportedly insufficient to meet daily needs.[9]
Jaw Masat IDP Camp
Camp Data:[10]
Population: ~ 667
Households: ~ 136
Area(s) of origin: Tanai Township
Displaced since: 2018
A camp leader who spoke to this analytical unit on 9 February reported that although they have not received an official camp closure order from the GAD, rumours began circulating three months ago that all IDP camps in Kachin State would be closed by March 2023. This camp leader also reported receiving informal news from Myitkyina GAD staff that the camp closure policy had indeed been established for Kachin State, but it remains unknown when the GAD will issue an official order to camps. There is speculation that the Kachin State SAC minister hopes to gain political support and leverage among IDPs by postponing forced returns until after the SAC’s potential planned elections. Nonetheless, all IDPs had reportedly registered for the SAC’s resettlement programme last year. In early 2022, a GAD official promised during a visit to the camp that IDPs could request that the GAD purchase land for them for the purposes of relocation. Despite IDPs requesting 11 acres of land, they were recently informed that there is now no plan to purchase new land, and that supposedly all IDPs around Myitkyina Township will have to relocate according to SAC arrangements, namely to the Pa La Na resettlement village, also called Ngwi Pyaw San Pya.[11]
Last year, a local response actor urged IDPs from villages where conditions have stabilised and are suitable for return to resettle to their areas of origin, and reportedly offered support in the amount of 500,000 Myanmar Kyat (~238 USD) per household for those willing to return. However, those displaced from villages in Danai Township are worried about SAC forces returning to the area in the coming months, as tensions are still high and the close proximity of KIA Brigade 2 headquarters heightens the risk for future displacement should armed violence break out. IDPs are currently waiting for further details on the GAD’s resettlement plan. The camp leader speculated that camp closure policies will likely result in reduced aid assistance, after IDPs are no longer officially classified as such. At present, IDPs are reportedly still receiving 25,000 Myanmar Kyat (~ 11 USD) per person from an international agency (instead of rice), but this support will allegedly be reduced in March 2023.[12]
Jan Mai Kawng Baptist Church IDP Camp
Camp Data:[13]
Population: ~ 776
Households: ~136
Area(s) of origin: Myitkyina, Sumprabum, and Momauk Townships
Displaced since: 2011
A camp leader who spoke to this analytical unit on 23 February reported that in December 2022, two officials from the Kachin State SAC visited the camp to inform him that the GAD is planning for an “optimal way” to resettle IDPs in the coming dry season (March to May).[14] The camp leader told this analytical unit he had seen a local media report that said Kachin State IDP camps must be closed by March 2023, but still had not received official orders.[15]
The GAD reportedly ordered camp leaders on three different occasions to submit IDP lists with a resettlement decision based on four options. Most reportedly chose the “return home” option, while some opted to relocate to a GAD-arranged resettlement village. “Stay in the camp” was apparently also an option on these forms, but IDPs were reportedly not allowed to select it. Although the SAC did not reportedly have a plan to build or provide housing, it would supposedly provide money for the construction of low-cost housing. The ministers who visited in December also reportedly promised that IDPs could manage said money based on their preferences, including housing construction projects or livelihood investments. However, they did not clarify exactly how much money would be designated per household.[16]
“If the GAD could provide some money as promised, we would have been able to find a place and move immediately. We don’t want to be here because the shelters are already ruined and it’s hard to survive without humanitarian aid.” – Male, 34, Myitkyina Township.
For some IDPs from Bhamo and Waingmaw Townships living in Myitkyina camps, houses had already been constructed in 2020 in the Gara Yang, Ja Pu, and Dabak villages with the cooperation of GAD and humanitarian actors during the National League for Democracy (NLD) government.[17] On 28 February, an estimated 112 IDPs from 20 households reportedly began to relocate from the Jan Mai Kawng Baptist Church IDP Camp to Gara Yang village.[18] The SAC also reportedly provided explosive ordnance clearance around these villages, but these efforts may have been undone by current and ongoing armed fighting near these areas. The camp leader speculated that resettlement orders would only be for those who already have housing to move to, based on GAD questioning in January 2023 about who in the camp already had constructed houses in those villages.[19]
Presently, the IDPs from this camp reportedly have no specific plans to resettle and will continue to monitor the situation until March. If no official order is issued, they will remain in the camp until they can manage their own resettlement, and find land to relocate to in the future. However, camp leader said that IDPs worry that if they continue to stay, SAC soldiers may brutally evict them or cut off the assistance they are currently receiving from local and international agencies.[20]
Hpakant Township
Baptist Church Hmaw Si Sar (Lon Khin) IDP Camp
Camp Data:[21]
Population: ~ 265
Households: ~ 40
Area(s) of origin: Hpakant Township
Displaced since: 2011
A camp leader who spoke to this analytical unit on 6 February reported that IDPs in this camp have not yet received any official instructions or orders from GAD to close the camp. However, since IDPs have been sheltering in the camp for over 10 years, there have been difficulties for local response actors to continue to support shelter for the camp residents, especially amid funding shortages. Their origin village, Nam Jan, is one of the areas in Hpakant Township that sees the most intense armed violence, as it is very close to KIA Brigade 9 headquarters.[22]
Whether the GAD orders them to resettle or not, the local response actor working in the camp will reportedly facilitate the IDPs’ land purchase and housing construction in 2023, and move in early 2024. However, the response actor will only coordinate with stakeholders; IDPs will be responsible for the cost of the land and housing construction. The response actor has reportedly agreed to provide 500,000 Myanmar Kyat (238 USD) per household for the resettlement process. Due to the difficulty of transportation and intense armed violence, there are not many humanitarian actors in Hpakant Township. However, IDPs do receive some support, including food and children’s healthcare, from international agencies.[23]
“The urgent needs of our IDPs are healthcare and children’s education. It’s already been three years; our children are away from school and the healthcare costs here are unaffordable for us. In the next year, if we have to relocate to a new place, we may need food and shelter until we settle down there.” – Male, 28, Hpakant Township.
Lawng Hkang Shait Yang (Lel Pyin) IDP Camp
Camp Data:[24]
Population: ~ 633
Households: ~ 123
Area(s) of origin: Hpakant Township
Displaced since: 2011
A camp leader who spoke to this analytical unit on 20 February reported that in November 2022, a Hpakant Township GAD official invited him for a meeting to discuss clarifications to the camp closure policy; the GAD official apparently told the camp leader that the IDPs must choose between three options laid out by the SAC. However, the KIO then reportedly urged the camp leader not to cooperate with SAC plans in a separate meeting. Presently, IDPs have no plans for relocation and have reportedly not been given any list of SAC provided options. In December 2022, the camp leader wrote a letter of request to the KIO Hpakant administration department to arrange land for the IDPs, and a local response actor has begun to discuss a relocation plan. There has been no reply from KIO yet. None of the IDPs can return to their areas of origin due to the presence of armed actors and ongoing violence in these areas. The biggest challenge facing IDPs in the Lawng Hkang Shait Yang (Lel Pyin) IDP Camp is reportedly the limited space for families.[25]
At present, IDPs reportedly receive 12,000 Myanmar Kyat (~ 5.7 USD) per IDP per month from an international agency, and another response actor provides health services. Most of the IDPs work as day labourers at jade mining companies, but that does not cover the needs of IDPs, especially due to the skyrocketing cost of food. According to the camp leader who spoke to this analytical unit, a 50 kilogram a rice bag now costs over 100,000 Myanmar Kyat (~ 47.5 USD); prior to October 2022, when the SAC limited the transportation of rice, the average price was 40,000-60,000 Myanmar Kyat (~ 19-28.5 USD).[26] The SAC still limits the transportation of rice and fuel to Hpakant Township.[27]
Waingmaw Township
Maina AG Church IDP Camp
Camp Data:[28]
Population: ~ 2176
Households: ~ 353
Area(s) of origin: Waingmaw, Chipwi, and Muse Townships
Displaced since: 2011
A camp leader who spoke to this analytical unit on 20 February reported that in December 2022, the township GAD official called a meeting with relevant persons from all the Waingmaw IDPs camps, but did issue any official order to force them to abolish the camps. The official reportedly informed them that the land for Waingmaw IDPs had already been requested at the Kachin State SAC level, and would be located in the Man-Ming village area (in the northern part of the Waingmaw Township). Most of the IDPs want to return to their villages of origin, but ongoing fighting, and the presence of armed forces and explosive ordnance, keeps them in the camps for now. The camp leader also mentioned that every year, the local response actor working in the camp would urge them to start making independent plans to resettle.[29]
Although there is no definite plan to leave the camp immediately, the IDPs are reportedly considering relocation as soon as possible in anticipation of increased pressure from the GAD. According to the camp leader, one of the biggest challenges for relocation is moving more than 2,000 IDPs from at least three different townships at the same time. However, reportedly around 10 per cent of IDPs have already purchased land around the town. Most of the IDPs’ families rely on jobs as day labourers at the jade and rare earth mining companies in Hpakant and Chipwi Townships.[30]
“I believe that if humanitarian organisations can provide us with enough food and advanced vocational training in time, the IDP resettlement process can be implemented as soon as possible.” – Female, 40, Waingmaw Township
IDPs have reportedly continued to receive WASH and health support from local and international agencies, but struggle with the high cost of rice. The camp leader said that humanitarian aid decreased after the coup, and as a result, IDPs have been struggling to meet their daily needs and cannot afford to buy land for relocation.[31]
Hka Shi IDP Camp
Camp Data:[32]
Population: ~ 387
Households: ~ 64
Area(s) of origin: Waingmaw Township
Displaced since: 2011
A camp leader who spoke to this analytical unit on 24 February reported that he had not received any orders from GAD to close this ethnic Lisu camp, and at this point had only needed to submit a list of IDPs preferences among the three options presented by the SAC. However, IDPs reportedly refused to choose from among the GAD’s options because there is not enough suitable farmland available. Most IDP households have already reportedly bought land in the Hka Shi village and reportedly will construct houses there in the coming months, if they receive requested assistance from humanitarian actors.[33]
The IDPs in this camp reportedly came from the northeast of Waingmaw Township, near the China border, and initially displaced in 2011 to camps in the vicinity of the border. However, fighting between SAC and KIA in December 2016 redisplaced them to their current location near Waingmaw town in January 2016. The largest challenges in the camp are reportedly overcrowding (10 square feet per family) and access to livelihoods. IDPs here have reportedly received some cash assistance from an international agency and health services from the SAC Township health department.[34]
Mogaung Township
Kyun Taw KBC IDP Camp
Camp Data:[35]
Population: ~ 77
Households: ~ 13
Area(s) of origin: Mogaung Township
Displaced since: 2012
A camp leader who spoke to this analytical unit on 20 February reported that in late 2022 a Mohnyin District GAD official visited the camp and explained the Kachin State SAC camp closure policy. He reportedly suggested that the camp leader find land for relocation, and promised that he would request funds for construction from the Kachin State SAC. Additionally, the GAD official urged them to quote the average cost of building each house. The IDPs apparently already submitted the lists of the IDPs preferred options, and estimate that construction costs would total 6,000,000 Myanmar Kyat (~ 2850 USD). So far, it appears there has been no reply from the GAD. A man from Man Gau village reportedly donated land for 13 IDP households and IDPs are now starting to clear the forest on the land, which is located nine miles away from Mogaung town.[36]
“We don’t need lifetime support from anyone, but it would be easier for IDPs to start a new life if the organisations could continue to provide some food and vocational training for a few years to resettle in a new place.” – Male, 46, Mogaung Township.
According to the camp leader, the biggest challenges facing IDPs are the absence of livelihoods and the lack of regular assistance from humanitarian actors. IDPs still receive food from a local and international actor, and health, WASH and child protection services from local response actors, but food support from the international agency will reportedly end in March. There are concerns that relocating to another location will cut off the aid they currently receive from humanitarian organisations.[37]
Chipwi Township
Lhaovo Baptist Church (LBC) IDP Camp
Camp Data:[38]
Population: ~ 854
Households: ~179
Area(s) of origin: Chipwi and Hsawlaw Township
Displaced since: 2018
A camp leader who spoke to this analytical unit on 27 February reported that none of the three camps within Chipwi Township have received a camp closure order from GAD. However, in December 2022, Myitkyina District GAD officials reportedly visited the camps and explained their future camp closure plans, including the three options from which IDPs must choose. For some IDPs whose village of origin is not far from Chipwi, an international agency and the GAD are planning to build houses in their location of origin, but that includes only six households from LBC Camp.[39]
“Whether GAD has officially forced us or not, we will definitely have to leave the camps by 2023-24 because we all are living in overcrowded camps without aid. Maybe it is an implicit tactic of SAC to force the relocation of IDPs by cutting off aid and controlling humanitarian activities.” – Male, 50, Chipwi Township.
According to the camp leader, the biggest challenge facing IDPs is that they cannot remain in their current location. Local residents, who have been leasing land for the current location since IDPs arrived in 2018, are now demanding the land be returned. Now, the local response actor in the camp is reportedly working to find other land where the IDPs can resettle, as they cannot relocate to their areas of origin due to the ongoing fighting between SAC and KIA.[40] IDPs in this camp have regularly received cash assistance from international agencies, along with shelter and health support from local responders. Most IDPs depend on work at rare earth mining sites, and the local response actors also leased land 23 miles away from the town for them to grow crops.[41]
[1] “Situation Update: Camp Closure Crisis,” CASS, 18 October 2022, https://cass-mm.org/situation-update-camp-closure-crisis/.
[2] “Camp Closures: Current Status,” CASS, 9 November 2022, https://cass-mm.org/camp-closures-current-status-november-2022/.
[3] “Camp Closures: Current Status,” CASS, 9 November 2022, https://cass-mm.org/camp-closures-current-status-november-2022/.
[4] “Despite danger, hundreds of displaced in Myanmar’s Kachin state return to their homes,” Radio Free Asia, 23 February 2023, https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/kachin-idps-02232023101739.html.
[5] Camp details taken from interview on file, male, 46, Kachin State (Myitkyina Township), 6 February 2023. This data has not been independently verified by this analytical unit.
[6] Interview on file, male, 46, Kachin State (Myitkyina Township), 6 February 2023.
[7] Interview on file, male, 46, Kachin State (Myitkyina Township), 6 February 2023.
[8] Camp details taken from interview on file, male, 54, Kachin State (Myitkyina Township), 8 February 2023. This data has not been independently verified by this analytical unit.
[9] Interview on file, male, 54, Kachin State (Myitkyina Township), 8 February 2023.
[10] Camp details taken from interview on file, female, 41, Kachin State (Myitkyina Township), 9 February 2023. This data has not been independently verified by this analytical unit.
[11] Interview on file, female, 41, Kachin State (Myitkyina Township), 9 February 2023.
[12] Interview on file, female, 41, Kachin State (Myitkyina Township), 9 February 2023.
[13] Camp details taken from interview on file, male, 34, Kachin State (Myitkyina Township), 23 February 2023. This data has not been independently verified by this analytical unit.
[14] Interview on file, male, 34, Kachin State (Myitkyina Township), 23 February 2023.
[15] “မလုံခြုံမှုနဲ့ အဆင်မပြေမှုတွေကြားက နေရပ်ဒေသကို မဖြစ်မနေ ပြန်ရတော့မယ့် မြစ်ကြီးနားမြို့ပေါ်က စစ်ရှောင်မျ”, Myitkyina News Journal, 6 February 2023, https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0wUEFb2RkXVqKoqsdATEnneTSsvJM9ZLP6tjoKCaXo3w8Dm4owyGWoykZ4s64Edq2l&id=130813733951556&mibextid=Nif5oz
[16] Interview on file, male, 34, Kachin State (Myitkyina Township), 23 February 2023.
[17] Interview on file, male, 34, Kachin State (Myitkyina Township), 23 February 2023.
[18] “မြစ်ကြီးနားမြို့၊ အင်ဂျန်ဒုံစခန်းက စစ်ရှောင်များ နေရပ်ပြန်ပြီ,” Myitkyina News Journal, 28 February 2023, https://www.facebook.com/130813733951556/posts/pfbid02GYdtnFeVqcXvLAMGXHNiwytPrsGk62krSvJJdyYh5z86h4riEwkKC5U4bjrPCQR8l/?mibextid=Nif5oz.
[19] Interview on file, male, 34, Kachin State (Myitkyina Township), 23 Feb 2023.
[20] Interview on file, male, 34, Kachin State (Myitkyina Township), 23 February 2023.
[21] Camp details taken from interview on file, male, 28, Kachin State (Hpakant Township), 6 February 2023. This data has not been independently verified by this analytical unit.
[22] Interview on file, male, 28, Kachin State (Hpakant Township), 6 February 2023.
[23] Interview on file, male, 28, Kachin State (Hpakant Township), 6 February 2023.
[24] Camp details taken from interview on file, male, 41, Kachin State (Hpakant Township), 20 February 2023. This data has not been independently verified by this analytical unit.
[25] Interview on file, male, 41, Kachin State (Hpakant Township), 20 February 2023.
[26] “ဖားကန့်တွင် ယခုတစ်ပတ်အတွင်း ဆန်နှင့် စက်သုံးဆီ စျေးအဆမတန်မြင့်တက်နေ,” Kachin News Group, 17 February 2023, https://www.facebook.com/theKachinNews/posts/pfbid0mgDx94w7MoDMgAuPeeZxwDHqpubBQDUKNzJhq6CzqTY9y73nZXhP8eUwgkNyxANAl.
[27] “ဖားကန့်ကို စက်သုံးဆီနဲ့ရိက္ခာ ဖြတ်တောက်ဖို့ စစ်ကောင်စီက လုပ်ဆောင်နေ,” Shwe Phee Myay News Agency, 11 February 2023, https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02YF1Vo3e5rLzHPrXQM6UX7uWQUkLuL2NcLD71FJKu1vXmiMY7GCdEcz3HgWqxqALTl&id=100068918215879&mibextid=Nif5oz.
[28] Camp details taken from interview on file, female, 40, Kachin State (Waingmaw Township), 20 February 2023. This data has not been independently verified by this analytical unit.
[29] Interview on file, female, 40, Kachin State (Waingmaw Township), 20 February 2023.
[30] Interview on file, female, 40, Kachin State (Waingmaw Township), 20 February 2023.
[31] Interview on file, female, 40, Kachin State (Waingmaw Township), 20 February 2023.
[32] Camp details taken from interview on file male, 52, Kachin State (Waingmaw Township), 24 February 2023. This data has not been independently verified by this analytical unit.
[33] Interview on file, male, 52, Kachin State (Waingmaw Township), 24 February 2023.
[34] Interview on file, male, 52, Kachin State (Waingmaw Township), 24 February 2023.
[35] Camp details taken from interview on file, male, 46, Kachin State (Mogaung Township), 20 February 2023. This data has not been independently verified by this analytical unit.
[36] Interview on file, male, 46, Kachin State (Mogaung Township), 20 February 2023.
[37] Interview on file, male, 46, Kachin State (Mogaung Township), 20 February 2023.
[38] Camp details taken from interview on file, male, 50, Kachin State (Chipwi Township), 27 February 2023. This data has not been independently verified by this analytical unit.
[39] Interview on file, male, 50, Kachin State (Chipwi Township), 27 February 2023.
[40] Interview on file, male, 50, Kachin State (Chipwi Township), 27 February 2023.
[41] Interview on file, male, 50, Kachin State (Chipwi Township), 27 February 2023.
