Bishop to visit Kachin refugees in Myanmar

(Oct. 12, 2011) A bishop in Myanmar on Wednesday visited refugees to give them food and spiritual comfort. Bishop Philip Lasap Za Hawng of Lashio in Shan state, visited refugees from Kachin state, who have taken shelter at St. Mary’s Catholic church in Mong Ji to escape ongoing fighting in the area. Two volunteers accompanied the bishop to distribute food and other relief supplies. “The St Vincent De Paul Association contributed rice, kitchen utensils, medicine and money for the refugees,” said Ma Naing, a member of the association, who accompanied the group to Mong Ji. And Fr Lucas La Yawng, parish priest at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Mong Ji said Wednesday morning that the parish is helping the refugees as much as we can with food items.” In addition to the refugees in the Church, another 93 have been housed with relatives of parishioners, and another 103 have taken shelter at a Baptist church, Fr La Yawng added.
Hundreds of villagers in northern Shan state have been displaced by violence that broke out between government troops and the ethnic opposition Kachin Independence Army on September 30. The fighting has not been intense, said a Catholic social worker from Lashio. The worker, who asked not to be named, said Wednesday morning that “World Concern”, an international NGO, was taking responsibility for providing health care for refugees, while the churches were trying to procure food and other aid. Respiratory infections, diarrhoea and skin infections are among the most common health problems among the refugees, the social worker said.