Afraid of further clashes, the displaced are seeking shelter in Hsipaw Township monasteries.

As tension persists between ethnic Shan armed organizations in Hsipaw Township, nearly 1,500 people have sought refuge in nine area monasteries since the weekend.

Fear of a standoff between the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) and the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) has been increasing around Ton Keng village in Hsipaw’s Ner Makhaw village tract. Villagers have been leaving the area since January 5, according to local sources.

“They are still afraid to go back home. Even though there are no clashes in the area, military tension is still present,” Aik Sai, a volunteer helping the displaced, told SHAN.

Only 100 of the 1,500 people that have fled to monasteries in recent days have returned to their villages to harvest their crops, volunteers said, leaving more than 1,300 still in need of assistance.

The nine monasteries providing shelter to villagers are Bodaw, Ner Makhaw, Nawng Kaw, Pangsin, Mizzima Rama, Ner San, Pang Nyu, and Shwe Zedi, as well as Tonkar village hall. The number of internally displaced people in each site ranges from 35 to more than 560.

Military tension has been escalating between the RCSS/SSA and SSPP/SSA since late December of last year. Locals continue to express concern that clashes will flare up near their villages.