Pajau Media
1st February, 2025
Residents of Lungsha Yang Village in the Putao District of Kachin State are making preparations for potential conflicts in light of recent reports. Local inhabitants have begun relocating their food supplies into the forest.
“Individuals in Lungsha Yang reported that they had dispatched rice and supplies to the forest as a precautionary measure in the event of a skirmish. I cannot disclose the specific location," stated a source familiar with the situation.
In May 2024, over 5,000 inhabitants of the Sumpiyang village tract, located slightly more than twenty miles from Lungsha Yang village, were compelled to evacuate abruptly as a result of the SAC's military operations, leaving behind essential supplies and escaping independently.
A local expressed, "In Sumpiyang, we were compelled to leave in haste, which prevented us from taking any possessions with us. Some individuals managed to take only the clothes on their backs. In Lungsha Yang, it would be beneficial if they could swiftly transport their belongings to a suitable location."
The IDPs from Sumpiyang encountered numerous challenges and obstacles during their evacuation to safety, primarily due to concerns for their own security. Consequently, the residents of Lungsha Yang commenced preparations promptly upon receiving reports that skirmishes were imminent in the Putao region.
In the village of Sumpiyang, it has been reported that the SAC confiscated all possessions abandoned by the residents during their departure, killed all domestic animals, such as cattle and sheep, and felled the commercial orange and grapefruit trees that were essential for the locals' sustenance.
Since the onset of this year, there have been accounts of potential conflicts in the Putao region. Local inhabitants report that the State Administration Council (SAC) has been steadily augmenting its military presence in Lungsha Yang village and along the Putao-Sumpra Bum road since the third week of January.
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