As many as 15,000 Kachin refugees are now living in the shadows on the Chinese border with no access to humanitarian aid or legal protection, according to a local support group who says that international assistance is urgently needed. The warning comes days after China issued a quiet reprimand of the Burmese government, whose conflict with the opposition Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in the northern state triggered a flow of refugees across the border. “The Chinese government doesn’t want to mention that Burma refugees are staying on the China side,” May Li Aung, from the Wunpawng Ning Htoi group, told DVB. “They don’t want the international community to know about it.”
As a result refugees are forced to lean on local populations, churches and poorly funded aid groups, who are struggling to meet their growing needs. Unless help arrives soon, a food crisis could emerge.
The Burmese government is reluctant to allow international organisations to assist those seeking refuge outside of its territory, fearing that the move could be seen as offering succour to armed opposition groups. China has officially denied the existence of refugees in its country, but is known to have pressured many into returning to Burma. Beijing has also blocked the UN from visiting the border region.
“We are talking with the (Chinese) authorities to ensure that people are treated in accordance with international humanitarian standards,” Andrej Mahehic, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR), confirmed to DVB. But in practice there is little UN agencies can do without the full cooperation of the relevant sovereign state, and the body has come under fire for not being more explicit about its inability to access refugees.