Late last month, Iang Za Kim was jolted awake in the night by explosions in a neighbouring village, followed by the roar of fighter jets overhead. She rushed outside to see plumes of smoke darkening the distant sky.
“We were terrified,” she recalls. “We were sure the junta’s planes would bomb us next. So we just grabbed what we could—some food, a few clothes—and ran into the jungle.”
Iang’s face trembles as she recounts the events of 26 November in K-Haimual, her village in Myanmar’s western Chin State. Then, her composure shatters into quiet sobs.
She is one of thousands of civilians who have fled their homes in recent weeks. The Burmese military has launched a fierce campaign of air strikes and a ground offensive across rebel-held territories, aiming to recapture land ahead of an election set to begin on 28 December.
Four other women seated around her on straw mats begin to cry as she speaks. The trauma of their desperate journey to safety is etched clearly on their faces.
While the air strikes forced Iang’s immediate flight, she also refuses to be compelled into participating in what she calls a sham election.
“If we are caught and refuse to vote, they will jail and torture us,” she says, her voice steadying with resolve. “We have run away so we do not have to vote.”
By James Kisoo
