‘Neglect may cost lives’
Some camps dotted in the forest have a few dozen people, some more than a thousand. The displaced sleep packed together under plastic sheeting for protection from Myanmar's monsoon rains.
Food is short and there are signs of disease spreading, according to people who have fled recent fighting in eastern Myanmar's Kayah State - just one of several conflicts to surge since the Feb. 1 coup toppled elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
"Some children are suffering diarrhoea. It is difficult to get clean water here. Some people didn't get a chance to bring rice or food," said 26-year-old Foung, who gave only one name for fear of retribution.
The United Nations estimates nearly 110,000 people have been displaced in Myanmar's Kayah State by the recent violence. With new fighting in northern and western Myanmar too, a total of nearly 200,000 people have fled homes elsewhere since the coup.
In a bulletin on Tuesday, the UN said aid efforts by national and international groups to complement the work of local communities had not been sufficient to address all needs.
Although the Karenni National Defence Force said it would halt attacks on Tuesday after appeals from communities, many of those taking refuge in the forest show little sign of readiness to take the risk of heading back to their homes.
At least three volunteers had been killed by the junta's forces when they tried to bring help, said Banya Khung Aung, director of the Karenni Human Rights Group.
"One-third of the population are now in the forest," he said "Neglect may cost many lives."
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