BUDDHIST monks fled two major towns in Myanmar, said a witness today, hundreds among thousands recently displaced by intense fighting between the military and rebel groups opposed to the coup last year.

The military power-grab expelled civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s government 11 months ago, with mass protests and subsequent crackdowns killing more than 1,400 people – as dozens of rebel groups sprang up to oppose the regime.

Loikaw town – in eastern Kayah – saw intense fighting last week, and the United Nations (UN) estimates that almost 90,000 people have fled, with local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) placing that figure far higher at 170,000.

“More than half of Loikaw’s population has been internally displaced,” said the UN, with even the holy men of the town scattering as the fighting raged.

“It was impossible for us to stay there,” said one monk, adding that about 30 monasteries are fleeing – an unusual sight in a nation where they are revered and temples are considered safe havens.

“It was hard to make the decision to leave, but we had to do it,” he said, requesting anonymity for his safety.

The monk, who is among the about 5,000 people who have fled to eastern Shan, said 12 monasteries in nearby Demoso have also emptied.

A policeman, who requested for anonymity, said rebel fighters have taken over churches and homes in Loikaw, adding that they have also attacked a prison.

“The town is deserted like a cemetery. The situation in town is very bad,” he said, noting that about 600 vehicles leave the settlement a day.

Both Demoso and Loikaw are rebel strongholds, with the UN noting that fighting has intensified in Kayah and Kayin since last month.

Over Christmas, the bodies of at least 35 people, including two NGO workers, were found burnt in Kayah, an atrocity blamed on junta troops.

UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar Tom Andrews earlier this week called on junta leader Min Aung Hlaing to “halt the air and ground attacks” on Loikaw, lift the blockade of those seeking to escape and allow aid to get through. – AFP, January 16, 2022.