YANGON (UCAN): Bishop Maurice Nyunt Wai of Mawlamyine, in southern Myanmar said his diocese would continue to offer daily humanitarian assistance to more than 700 children now sheltering in St. Mary of the Assumption parish, Fides reported on September 12.
The bishop added that hundreds of more children are also receiving Church support in other 14 parishes of the diocese, he said.
“These are the children of families displaced within the country, several thousand in our diocese,” he said.
Many families, Catholic and non-Catholic, were caught in the line of fire between the army and the Popular Defense Forces, composed mainly of young people opposed to the military dictatorship, he explained.
The conflict has forced hundreds of families to flee to the forests where they survived amid enormous difficulties, he noted.
“Daily subsistence is a challenge. Social services are at a standstill. Most children and young people do not go to school,” Bishop Nyunt Wai said.
People are tired, sad and disoriented, because of the violence which does not cease. But, in the ordeal, the faithful give a strong testimony of faith, they continue to come to churches and to pray intensely”
Bishop Nyunt Wai
The priests, catechists and volunteers in parishes have banded together to offer help to those who sought the Church’s help. They have organised school service and basic humanitarian assistance.
The bishop pointed out the diocese has 15,000 Catholics out of an estimated population of 2.7 million in the region, so the Church’s ability to assist people in need is limited.
Those helping have been “prudent and patient” in offering assistance to the displaced people because the Church has been targeted as the military accused the church of supporting the rebel forces, the bishop said.
“We must continue to act in charity, giving comfort and hope, but quietly, in silence and in hiding,” he said, adding that the Church’s aid to needy people should not be seen as a support for the militias.
The bishop explained that due to attacks on churches and Church-run institutes, people have abandoned churches and houses, due to a lack of security and safety, and no chance to attend religious services.
“People are tired, sad and disoriented, because of the violence which does not cease. But, in the ordeal, the faithful give a strong testimony of faith, they continue to come to churches and to pray intensely,” Bishop Nyunt Wai said.
These are the children of families displaced within the country, several thousand in our diocese
Bishop Nyunt Wai
The situation of Mawlamyine echoes the scenario in most Catholic dioceses in Myanmar.
According to the Institute for Strategy and Policy, a Thailand-based think-tank, in the first half of this year, the number of internally displaced people increased by 680,000.
Altogether, more than 2.6 million people have been displaced in the country since the military coup in 2021 that triggered unrest and deadly conflicts.
Apart from relentless attacks on both rebel forces and civilians, the military junta has been denying charities and humanitarian groups access to affected regions to offer food and medicines to people.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that the restrictions on humanitarian access have increased in the southeast and the Kachin region, plunging the communities into a humanitarian emergency.
In August, the UN undersecretary general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, visited Myanmar for three days. He called for “increased humanitarian access and funding to help the country’s 18 million Burmese citizens in need of aid across Myanmar.”
Griffiths said, “The successive crises that the country has experienced have left a third of the population in need of humanitarian assistance,” and called on the political leaders of Myanmar and the international community to “do more and better.”
