‘They are worried about the transmission of COVID-19 in the camps…’

Burma’s government is making it harder to protect the most vulnerable against COVID-19.

For decades, the Burmese government has prioritised military spending over health spending, leaving Burma in a very weak position to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. The Burmese military (the Tatmadaw) has a long history of violent attacks on religious and ethnic minorities.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the predominantly Christian Chin and Kachin ethnic groups, as well as Rohingya Muslims, many of whom live in refugee camps, have become even more vulnerable.

‘The IDP community has been anxious [about] the outbreak…’

‘The IDP community has been anxious [about] the outbreak as they are living in the congested situation with limited services...the IDPs are worried for the transmission of disease in camps and their food security in [the] time of COVID-19 pandemic.

‘As humanitarian aid has been decreased during the past several years, the IDPs have to work outside to fulfil their needs. However, [since] the restriction in the camps and outbreak of the disease, IDPs are not [able] to work outside of the camps and have huge concerns on food insecurity. Some IDPs families are facing many difficulties in camps…’

It was a heartbreaking picture painted by our local partners, who shared with us what life has been like in many camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Kachin state over the last few months. IDPs are people who have been forced to flee their homes, but who remain in their home country.

Over 120,000 IDPs live in 173 camps in Kachin and northern Shan states alone. Most of these families and communities have fled as a result of violent attacks on their homes and villages by the Burmese military. Living in close proximity in squalid camps, and already suffering from lack of proper food, medical care and sanitation, they are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.

So far, there haven't been any reported cases of COVID-19 in Burma's IDP camps - but the risks are grave.

‘Very few IDP camps have received assistance from the government…’

Victims of Burmese military attacks – many of whom are Kachin or Chin Christians, and Rohingya Muslims – have been forced to flee their homes and have lost everything. Adding to their suffering, Burma's government places restrictions on the aid they receive, and assistance from international donors is insufficient.

Our local contacts told us, ‘The government has been providing rations to some needy communities and many IDPs are not included in the lists to get the assistance. Very few IDP camps received assistance from the government.’

In Rakhine State in western Burma, more than 100,000 Rohingya refugees have lived in squalid camps since their villages were attacked in 2012. The government severely restricts aid reaching them, causing immense suffering and deaths. Even in this time of crisis, these restrictions are still in place.

In Rakhine and Chin State the government has also shut down internet access in an area where one million people live, preventing them from receiving critical information about how to avoid catching COVID-19. Meanwhile Cox's Bazar - the refugee camp in Bangladesh which houses over one million Rohingya Muslim refugees - has seen its first reported cases of COVID-19, with humanitarian aid agencies working urgently to prevent a catastrophic escalation.

‘The military should focus efforts on fighting the virus and protecting the vulnerable, not killing civilians’ 

Earlier this year we saw a shocking rise in attacks by the Tatmadaw, with even a World Health Organisation (WHO) vehicle being attacked. A temporary ceasefire, announced by the military in May and intended to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, provided a much-needed opportunity for peace. But sadly, the hopes of many people living in Rakhine and Chin states were dashed, when it was revealed that the ceasefire did not extend to these parts of the country.

Our prayer for Burma at this time of crisis is rooted in the words of His Eminence Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, that all sides would be ‘armed with sincerity and truth’, and that all in Burma would ‘take the more difficult path of overcoming differences face to face with courage and intelligence.’

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Contact your MP urging them to raise this issue with the Department for International Development, and to lead efforts to put pressure on the Burmese government to lift aid restrictions. csw.org.uk/protectrefugees