Pajau Media
11th November, 2024
The medical and educational personnel from Chipwi District, who were displaced as a result of the conflict in the Kachin Special Region (1), continue to experience irregular salary payments, as reported by the education staff who relocated from Chipwi City to Myitkyina.
The employees who have been relocated are maintaining their government responsibilities as normal; however, the current SAC government has not disbursed their salaries for the months of September and October, as reported by an education employee from Chipwi to Pajau Media.
“It has been one month since I commenced my employment at Myitkyina, yet I have not received my salary. Upon my escape from Chipwi, I was forced to abandon all of my possessions. Currently, the cost of goods continues to rise, making it increasingly challenging to sustain myself,” stated the aforementioned employee.
The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and allied forces launched an assault and seized control of Chipwi on September 29th. Furthermore, on October 30th, the government designated health and education employees as adjunct personnel to the relevant government offices in Myitkyina.
The employees, who were reassigned to Myitkyina City as supplementary staff due to the conflict over Chipwi City, have not received any salary since September. Furthermore, the ongoing rise in the prices of goods has exacerbated the challenges faced by employees, the aforementioned employee stated.
“The current expense for basic food for a single day is approximately 23,000 kyats. At times, I find it necessary to borrow money from others in order to purchase food. The rising prices of goods have created numerous difficulties. A woven sack of rice has increased to over 100,000 kyats, and the price of an egg has surged to between 800 and 900 kyats. Consequently, I am unable to support myself and have sought assistance from my friends,” he stated.
Government employees in Chi Phu District do not receive their salaries on a regular basis, yet they report to work daily. With a monthly income of approximately 300,000 kyats, these employees find it insufficient to meet their living expenses, especially given the current surge in prices. They face daily challenges due to the escalating costs of goods and have not been compensated for over two months. Furthermore, formal requests have been made to the higher authorities tasked with ensuring the timely payment of wages to these employees.
According to another employee's explanation, the majority of government offices have been managed by the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) since it assumed control of Chipwi town. The local school is also functioning as a KIO school. It has been reported that they plan to provide a bag of rice and a monthly wage of 250,000 kyats. There are claims that the State Administration Council (SAC) government intentionally withheld salaries from education employees due to the recent leak of this information.
The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) successfully launched an offensive and took control of Chipwi Township on September 29th. By early October, reports indicated that the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) had established its administrative framework throughout the city of Chipwi.
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