The ministry is working on the resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) across 17 villages in Kachin State, said Soe Aung, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement. 

Deputy Minister Soe Aung, who is also the chair of the committee for the resettlement of IDPs in Kachin State made a three-day tour to the IDP camps and villages in Myitkyina, Waingmaw, Bhamo, Mansi and Moemauk Townships. 

“I come here to seek ways of how to cooperate in the resettlement of IDPs,” he added. 

On October 21, the deputy minister held a discussion with departmental officials and UN agencies, on the resettlement processes, at the Kachin State government office. 

Nay Win, Kachin State Minister for Social Affairs said: “The IDPs resettlement Committee  visited 17 IDPs villages for the resettlement plan. The committee listen to the voices of IDPs and also provided necessary assistance to the IDPs, especially the elderly and pregnant mothers. The Tatmadaw is dealing with the clearance of mines. Collaboration is to be made for the dignified return of IDPs as roads and houses in villages are damaged. Though peace and stability has been restored to some villages, IDPs are unable to go home.”

Under the pilot project, the IDPs from Myitkyina, Waingmaw, Chiphwe, Bhamo, Mansi, Moemauk and Dawphoneyan Townships showed their desires to go home. The IDPs are living in 114 IDP camps in Kachin State. 

“We are still compiling the list of IDPs who want to go back to their villages. But some IDPs have proposed to move to the nearby villages. The problem is house and lands. We need to keep the records of the ownership of lands and houses systematically. We are still working on education, health and land reclamation for agriculture,” Nay Win added. 

Since June 9, 2011, the fights between the Tatmadaw and the KIA started. The fights displaced people from more than 300 villages.

According to the records, 2011 saw the maximum number of IDPs.

According to the 2017 figures, nearly 40,000 people are taking shelter in 94 IDPs camps in the government-controlled areas and over 46,000 people, in 25 IDPs camps in the KIO-KIA-controlled areas.