Myanmar: Thousands displaced by floods amid ongoing military airstrikes

Farmers are seen carrying sacks of rice from flooded paddy fields and moving from their homes to safer places near Bayarphu village in Loikaw Township, Kayah State, Myanmar on September 16, 2024. Heavy monsoon rains that have been falling continuously since July have forced thousands of people across Myanmar to flee their homes, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis caused by the junta’s atrocities and the resistance against them. (Photo – AFP) UCA News Amidst the natural disaster, anti-Arakanese hate speech from junta supporters has also been seen rising on social media pages. Sudden floods caused by continuous heavy monsoon rains have forced thousands of people across Myanmar to flee their homes, exacerbating the current humanitarian crisis as the military continues its airstrikes in conflict zones and ethnic tensions deepen. Since the beginning of this month, heavy rains have caused major rivers in southern, central, and western Myanmar to overflow, submerging low-lying towns and villages, destroying infrastructure, and forcing local residents to flee their homes. In Mon State in the southeast, 226 households, or nearly 1,000 people, were forced to flee their homes due to the flooding of the Bilin River until July 13, local authorities said. “We are experiencing floods in a season when it normally doesn’t flood,” Ma Ma Hri, a resident of Yoesay Village, told UCA News. She blamed the excessive and unsystematic gold mining upstream for reducing the river’s drainage capacity. “The flow of water has become poor due to the silt from mining. If the rain continues, the flood will last longer than the usual three days,” she said. In Myawaddy, a border town in neighboring Kayin State, residents are also on alert as the Thanlwin River continues to rise. “Water has not yet entered the town’s wards, but the river water is still rising, and the rain is still falling,” a local rescue volunteer told UCA News on July 13. The National Unity Government (NUG), formed by elected lawmakers ousted after the 2021 military coup and pro-democracy activists, has warned that river levels could rise further in Bago Region and other areas. Meteorologists have warned of further flooding as the Chindwin River in Sagaing Region and the Laymyo River in Rakhine State are nearing their danger levels. The situation is particularly severe in Rakhine State, where the Global Flood Awareness System issued its highest flood alert until July 23. Continuous rainfall since early July has submerged over 100 villages in at least eight townships, affecting around 100,000 people. Health workers have also warned of an increased risk of mosquito-borne diseases, including dengue fever, as stagnant water spreads in the region. Floods and landslides have also affected border trade with India, blocking roads connecting Rakhine State with India’s Mizoram state and leaving trucks stranded. These natural disasters have occurred amid Myanmar’s ongoing civil war, with the military continuing its airstrikes in flood-affected areas. Local sources reported that on July 10, the military carried out an airstrike on Kular Chaung village in Gwa Township, Rakhine State, killing three civilians, including a three-year-old child, and injuring two others. Thousands of internally displaced persons in seven townships controlled by the Arakan Army (AA) are in urgent need of food, medicine, and shelter, local rescue groups said. While rescue efforts are being jointly carried out by the Arakan People’s Revolutionary Government and local community organizations, state-owned media have ignored the disaster, said Wai Hnin Aung, a Rakhine writer involved in the rescue efforts. He also said that anti-Arakanese hate speech from junta supporters has been seen rising on social media pages. “Every time someone posts about the floods in Rakhine State, it is filled with comments from junta supporters saying, ‘Good, let the ungrateful ones die. Let the Arakanese disappear,’ openly spreading ethnic hatred,” he told UCA News. Wai Hnin Aung refused to accept any assistance from the junta. “We don’t want their help, nor will we accept it. The future of this land, whether good or bad, concerns the people of Arakan. We can stand on our own feet,” he said. (Translated by Ko Taw from UCA News’ “Floods in Myanmar displace thousands amid ongoing military strikes”)