Residents, including displaced people (IDPs) who had returned home, have had to flee Hsihseng Town in southern Shan State, since 3 August 2024, when fighting again intensified in the area.

Fighting had subsided in Hsihseng Township for a month before resuming in the area of Loihtwea Village in the eastern part of the Hsihseng Township. This followed a junta airstrike on 3 August that targeted the Pa-O National Liberation Army (PNLA) headquarters in the nearby in Kadugyi Village Tract, just across the township border in Mawkmai Township, southern Shan State.

The renewed fighting has forced over 3,000 people to flee from 10 villages in the eastern part of Hsihseng Township, according to the PNLA.

An already displaced person sheltering in Hsihseng Town said: “Now the clashes have resumed, people are fleeing in fear. However, there are no places to run to anymore. There’s nowhere safe to escape. The towns are not very welcoming for displaced people, and we are not trying to flee.”

They explained that another reason people could not flee Hsihseng Town was because they didn’t have enough money. They said: “People are unable to flee in vehicles or on motorcycles [because they do not own vehicles] due to a lack of work and income. While others who own them cannot cover the fuel costs. Furthermore, some are unable to rent a place to stay.”

Currently the fighting is six miles to the east of Hsihseng Town in the area of Loihtwea Village.

A displaced woman said: “Even if we try to flee now, escaping into the forest is not feasible. Fleeing to the city is also not an option due to the high cost of renting places. Some people don’t have cars or motorcycles. The situation is so dire that people are unwilling to move because they cannot manage the transportation costs and the exhausting effort of moving back and forth.”

Currently, the price of petrol in Hsihseng Township is 10,000 MMK a litre and the amount people can buy has been restricted. Also, the cost of renting a house in Hsihseng Town is reported to be 50,000 MMK a month.

People newly displaced from northern Shan State by Operation 1027 have been fleeing to southern Shan State and seeking shelter in towns such as Taunggyi and Nyaungshwe where there has been a significant increase in the number of IDPs.

Currently, there are over 100,000 IDPs sheltering in southern Shan State, including individuals from Karenni State and various Pa-O regions, according to the Pa-O Youth Organisation.