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Delay in humanitarian aid to those affected by Kachin conflict
Posted by:
PNA
Post Date :
15 March 2013
Insecurity is once again rearing its ugly
head in the arena of Myanmar's humanitarian affairs. The Japanese charity, the Nippon Foundation
has recently reported that the Myanmar government is impeding the dispersal of
aid to areas afflicted by the KIA conflict.
At a press conference in Rangoon held
earlier in the month, the Nippon
Foundation project coordinator Takehiro Umemura said aid delivery plans for
internally displaced ethnic Kachin have been delayed due to a lack of
government access to the region. The foundation is requesting permission to
visit the area in order to rectify issues related to ineffectual communication.
“We wanted to get permission as soon as
possible,” he said. “We officially asked permission from the government many
times.”
Since the end of the 17-year ceasefire
agreement between the KIO/ KIA and the Myanmar government in June 2011, nearly
100,000 villagers have been displaced.
To alleviate the resource problem, some
aid organizations have attempted to supply materials to those displaced by the
violence; the UN and the International
Committee of the Red Cross began to slowly gain access to the areas in late
February. Still, due to the isolated nature of the area, it has proved
difficult for aid organizations to dispense aid to those living in conflict
afflicted regions. The operations were made more accessible after rebels and
the government began ceasefire talks on Feb. 4.
Yet, delivery of supplies from Myitkyina
to Laiza, has proven difficult since many of the roads are blocked and have
impeded transportation.
“The people really need aid, but we do
not want to have problems with the government over sending this aid,” Umemura
added.
Albeit
tensions surrounding the distribution of supplies to those in Kachin state,
there is a light at the end Myanmar's dark tunnel towards resolution and
progress. The Nippon
Foundation has taken an interest in resolving Burma’s ethnic tensions as well
as its economic issues. It has pledged a donation of nearly US $3 million in
emergency aid, as well as education and healthcare support in the country's
ethnic areas. After the introduction of political reforms under President Thein
Sein international trade sanctions were lifted last year, prompting the
Japanese government to re-establish economic ties with Burma, in addition to
canceling the more than US $3 billion in foreign debt owed by Burma, and to
build up Japanese economic interests in the country.
In addition to the Japanese provided
assistance Myanmar is diversifying its economic prospects and has recently
committed to joining fellow members of the Ayeyawaddy-Chao Phraya-Mekong
Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) to realize the action plans of the
group. The five-member ACMECS countries comprise of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar,
Thailand and Vietnam.
There are eight sectors that ACMECS is
targeting, which include trade and investment, agriculture, industry and
energy, transportation, tourist, human resources development, public health and
environmental conservation.
A
meeting with the group took place earlier in the month, at which time participants vowed to double the
efforts of member countries individually and collectively for the sake of
ACMECS nations and their people.
The current reforms and help from the
Nippon Foundation is intended to help with Myanmar's development and improve
the standard of living within the country.
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