Conflict comes and goes but jeopardy persists: Livelihood struggles in Kyone Long village four months after an armed clash

June 18, 2025

HURFOM: In January, 2025, there was a two-week-long armed clash between the military junta and the joint forces of the Mon and Karen revolutionary groups in Kyone Long village, Ye Chaung Pyar Region, Ye Township, Mon State.

During the armed clash, the junta launched artillery and air attacks and its regiment advanced into the village and stationed themselves there after the conflict. The military presence forced more than 1,500 residents from Kyone Long, Well Bong, Well Zin and Kyauk Mee Kyaung villages to flee to the liberated areas controlled by the New Mon State Party.

Along the Ye-Kyaung Yaw village road, junta forces are blocking the transportation of food, gasoline and construction materials. Regiments based in Eye Boke village have imposed a similar ban.

It has now been four months since the armed clash and residents in the Ye Chaung Pyar region face many difficulties related to their livelihood, movement, safety and security.

“We have to hide the rice if it exceeds the limited amount. They don’t allow transportation of construction materials. They’ve totally banned transportation of cement,” said a resident from Ye Chaung Pyar region.

Multiple restrictions have doubled the commodity prices and villagers pay 600 MMK for an egg and 1,000 MMK for a pack of instant noodles.

The price of a gallon of gasoline has risen up from 3,500 MMK to 4,000 MMK while a pack of cement is priced at 50,000 MMK.

“A pack of cement is priced at 32,000 MMK in Ye but it’s priced at 50,000 MMK in Ye Chaung Pyar. On June 7^th, a local man transported packs of cement from Ye to Ye Chaung Pyar but he had to drop off all his cement packs in the “Ta Dar Gyi” security gate in Ye. The gate didn’t allow him to pass and forced him to make a U-turn,” said one witness.

Junta forces operating the “Ta Dar Gyi” security gate also impose a huge extortion on goods and products transported into the region. Truck drivers have to pay 3,000 MMK for a bag of rice and 2,000 MMK for a big package of instant noodles. Drivers must also pay from 100,000 to 200,000 MMK for each truck.

The “Eye Boke” security gate also extorts villagers and truck drivers in a similar way.

Ye Township residents said everyone who wants to pass the security gates must show authentic ID cards.

The military junta has also imposed a curfew from 6 pm to 6 am in the area and the local rubber plantation workers nearby Kyone Long village have difficulties going to their workplace.

The curfew prevents villagers from providing guard at night on their seasonal fruits such as durians, mangosteens and betel nuts.

“We go to the plantation in the morning and must return in the evening. So, we own our fruits only in daylight. The soldiers steal and eat our fruits at night. Sometimes, they close the gate at 4 pm,” said a Kyone Long villager.

Even though the conflict has decelerated and the situation is getting stable, only 100 out of 300 displaced families have been able to return to Kyone Long village.

Empty houses have been robbed and looted. One Kyone Long resident said, “before we ran away, we locked all the houses. But they were burgled and our belongings were stolen.”

Many houses in Kyone Long village were damaged during the armed clash and eight houses were totally destroyed. Now, the rainy season has come but the rehabilitation has not started yet.

“The three houses have been reconstructed but there is no help from either the military junta or the New Mon State Party. The families have to rely on themselves. It isn’t okay to construct a house in stormy weather,” said a local source.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under Feature