A/HRC/39/CRP.2
and many people became sick with diarrhoea. Three women gave birth in the forest,
but one of the new-born babies died at 20 days old. Another five-year old girl died
while her mother was carrying her. We faced many hardships. 640
301. The lack of humanitarian access has led to dire conditions in some camps for internally
displaced persons, contributing to trafficking and raising other protection concerns.641 One
young woman, who spent three years in a camp for internally displaced persons in a nongovernment controlled area of Kachin State before leaving the country in 2014, cited the lack
of food as the main reason for her decision to leave:
I spent three years in the camp but then the Tatmadaw blocked all humanitarian aid.
After that, each of us would only get 4kg of rice per month and there was almost no
other food, only rice. Because there was no food, I had to leave and went to Thailand,
and then Malaysia.642
302. The Mission received credible information that a convoy of vehicles from the
Myanmar Red Cross was attacked on 17 February 2015 and for a second time on 21 February
2015 in Kokang Self-Administered Zone, Shan State.643 The attacks caused several Red Cross
personnel and civilians to be injured, with one Red Cross volunteer later dying from the
injuries he sustained during the attacks. 644 The Government reportedly stated that the
MNDAA was responsible for the attacks, which was denied by the group.645 It was not
possible for the Mission to verify which party to the conflict was responsible. Following the
first attack, Kokang Self-Administered Zone was placed under martial law until 17
November 2015.646 Humanitarian access to the 80,000 individuals displaced by fighting
between the MNDAA and the Tatmadaw was not granted until July 2015. 647 The Mission
received allegations that serious violations had taken place in the area during this period but
was unable to verify them.648
303. The Mission also received one report of Tatmadaw soldiers intercepting and stealing
shipments of medicines intended for internally-displaced persons, but it was unable to verify
this.649
304. The Mission received credible accounts of the Tatmadaw denying or delaying access
to medical care for injured civilians.650 In one well-known case, verified by the Mission, on
13 September 2012, a Tatmadaw Battalion Commander said that Ja Seng Ing, a 13-year old
girl who had been shot by the Tatmadaw in Sut Ngai Yang village, Hpakant Township,
Kachin State, could not be taken to hospital until all soldiers had left the village. They left in
groups of five to 10 soldiers at a time, taking over an hour, before she could be taken to the
hospital.651 In another case, an individual described how her village in Namkhan Township,
Shan State, was attacked by the Tatmadaw in May 2017 and afterwards she had to negotiate
to collect the injured residents and take them to the hospital after an attack on her village:
Afterwards, we had to negotiate with the Commander to go and rescue the injured.
The Commander said he would let women be rescued but that anyone else would be
killed. We were able to enter the village and collect my relative. She was in very bad
shape. We took her to hospital and she had to stay there several months. Now she can
hardly move and cannot work.652
640
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649
650
651
652
PI-103.
See this chapter, section C: Impact of conflict, violations and abuses on civilians.
PI-030.
K-069.3, V-158.
IFRC, “Myanmar Red Cross Society mourns the death of a volunteer” (3 April 2015).
Moe Zaw, “Myanmar, Kokang Rebels Spar Over Red Cross Attack” (VOA, 18 February 2015).
K-063.23.
K-064.1.
SM-001, V-159.
V-144.
PI-064, PI-073, PI-105.
K-131, PI-105.
PI-073.
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