‘Warned that we’d be shot and killed’: Myanmar refugees fleeing Tatmadaw’s war against resisting civilians narrate ordeal

A walk around the refugee camps, standing cheek by jowl, along the remote hills of Lawngtlai district in Mizoram, a northeastern state in India, presents a picture of tragic displacement and anger, equally. At one of the camps, women are seen bent over chopping firewood, some carrying bundles of bamboo on their heads, while scores of children roll about in dust and dirt, by a series of crammed temporary bamboo shelters. Men are out to arrange the day’s meals. Food is yet to be cooked at the shelters.

These are refugees from Myanmar who have been escaping “Tatmadaw’s offensive against civilians” in their country. “They burned down our houses and there were no places for us to live. We were scared for our lives and forced to flee our country. We reached Lawngtlai on foot,” said 45-year-old Sanga, a Myanmar refugee, denunciating the Tatmadaw – Myanmar’s armed forces.

The influx of thousands of Myanmar refugees to the northeast was propelled by a sudden military coup by Tatmadaw, which began on February 1, 2021, deposing the elected members of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party that reserved victory during the November 2020 general election in Myanmar.

Read the full story here: https://www.news9live.com/india/warned-that-wed-be-shot-and-killed-myanmar-refugees-fleeing-tatmadaws-war-against-resisting-civilians-narrate-ordeal-174701