No good choice for Myanmar’s refugees
January 6, 2022 ·
Biak Tling, and his family, fled Myanmar for India.Saumya Khandelwal for The New York Times
No good choice for Myanmar’s refugees
Across Myanmar, hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes, trying to escape violence since the military seized power in a coup on Feb. 1.
Many are living in tents in the jungles of Myanmar. Some have left their homeland en-tirely, pouring into neighboring countries.
For those who stay, it is a fight to survive. The junta has created a humanitarian crisis in Myanmar that is worsening by the day. Rights groups say soldiers are blocking aid convoys. Children are malnourished. And the military is deploying more troops to crush resistance.
For those who leave, it is a life in limbo. Many are struggling to adapt to a place they don’t quite know, a government that doesn’t quite welcome them, and a future with no certainty. India is cracking down to prevent the region bordering Myanmar from ac-cepting many refugees.
Worsening violence: More than 1,300 people have been killed by the junta, accord-ing to a rights group. The military was accused over the weekend of massacring at least 35 villagers, including women and children, in Kayah State.
Left hopeless: “Now we are alive, but it’s no different from being dead,” said Hei Mang, a 70-year-old whose family has been forced to ask neighbors in Myanmar for food.
