23/07/2025
Fleeing to Karenni from the War
Kantarawaddy Times
On a drizzly afternoon, two middle-aged women are chatting on the veranda of a makeshift hut in a displacement camp. These two women, named Daw Htyo Myar and Daw Myar Moe, fled from Pinlaung Township in Southern Shan State to seek refuge in Karenni State.
Although they came from different villages in Pinlaung Township, they met only after becoming internally displaced people and settling in the same camp. They have now been living in the “Htay Kay Lyar” displacement camp on the western side of Demoso for about seven months.
Daw Htyo Myar, now 45 years old, appears to be still very strong because she used to work in agriculture. However, due to the ongoing conflict and displacement, she can no longer farm or tend to her land. Having always been an active and hard-working person, her daily life now feels empty and restless.
“When I visit neighbors to chat, it helps relax my mind. But when I’m alone, thoughts overwhelm me. It’s mentally exhausting,” she says of her now-idle days.
To pass time and relax her mind while staying alone, she often prays or listens to songs.
Back in her home village of North Saung Lan, in Pinlaung Township, she always had work throughout the year. She grew both rainy and dry season rice, along with crops like corn and garlic for income.
Until September 2024, before being displaced, her farmland was ready for harvest with golden paddy fields and corn waiting. But when the war reached their village, they had to flee, leaving everything behind.
During their fleeing, their entire village with over 80 houses was burned down.
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Kantarawaddy Times On a drizzly afternoon, two middle-aged women are chatting on the veranda of a makeshift hut in a displacement camp. These two women, named Daw Htyo Myar and Daw Myar Moe, fled from Pinlaung Township in Southern Shan State to seek refuge in Karenni State. Although they came from d...
