SW News: A shocking report has emerged from conflict-torn Myanmar indicating that the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) has increased by more than 680,000 between January and April this year. The figures were released by the ISP Myanmar independent research outfit.

Ever since the military toppled the validly elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 21 and seized power, as many as 2.6 million people have been forced to leave their homes and they include the latest figure revealed by ISP Myanmar. The civilian protests are being brutally suppressed by the army and thousands are in jail on trumped-up charges. The brutal manner in which the troops are crushing dissent forces many people to flee from their homes to safer places.

To make matters worse, the conflict between the army and the armed ethnic fighters in several states has intensified after the coup. The military is resorting to intense artillery and air attacks often targeting villages and Christian places of worship and institutions. This has caused the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people in several states with ethnic minorities.

There are reports that the military government is purposely blocking humanitarian aid from reaching people in states where the fighting is intense. This aggravates the pathetic condition of the IDPs.

In July last year, ICC found that Christians, who form a sizable majority in Kayah state where fighting is going on between the troops and the armed separatists, are being deprived of humanitarian assistance and food supplies provided by NGOs. On May 1, the Progressive Karenni People Force said that 134 refugees from Kayah were killed in the conflict as they did not receive adequate food and medicines.

Last month, many people, mostly Catholics, were forced to flee from the Sagaing region because of intense air strikes by the military. The region is one of the areas where fierce fighting is going on between the troops and separatists. It is also home to a large number of Bayingi Catholics who are the descendants of Portuguese sailors and explorers who settled in the area after marrying local women in the 16th and 17th century.