With the arrival of the monsoon season, internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Thayetchaung and Palaw townships in the Dawei region are facing severe shelter difficulties, according to local sources.

While some organizations have provided donations, survivors report that overall aid remains insufficient. Thousands of residents have been forced to abandon their homes due to ongoing clashes, junta airstrikes, military offensives, arrests, killings, and arson. Most are currently seeking refuge in nearby villages.

During the recent battle for the Win Wa outpost in Thayetchaung Township, hundreds of homes were destroyed by fire, forcing residents to flee and seek shelter in neighboring communities. Local sources indicate that nearly entire villages—including Min Dat, Gon Nyin Seik, Saw Phyar, and Moe Shwe Kone—have been displaced. Some residents from Win Wa and Chaung Wa Pyin villages have also been forced to flee.

After months of displacement, many IDPs are finding it difficult to continue staying with host families who are themselves facing hardships. This has forced many to seek rental housing; however, those without the financial means to pay rent are in a desperate situation.

“Those who can afford it are renting houses. Those who can’t are asking for permission to stay in other people’s orchards,” said a displaced man from a village near Win Wa. “But you need wood, bamboo, and thatch (thatching) to build a hut. It costs at least five or six hundred thousand Kyats to build a single shelter. For those who are struggling, that amount is simply out of reach.”

He noted that aid workers have provided two rounds of basic food supplies—rice, oil, and salt—and a one-time cash grant of 35,000 Kyats per person. However, distribution remains an issue.

“IDPs are scattered in small groups. I’m not sure if the aid worders only collect lists from places where large groups are gathered, but those staying in private homes aren’t included in the priority lists. For the most destitute, survival is a massive struggle,” the man added.

The situation is particularly dire for those who are unemployed or lack family members abroad to send remittances.

“After months of staying, some hosts are starting to get frustrated. Some have been asked to find new places,” said a displaced woman from Sin Htoe Gyi village, currently sheltering in Kyauk Lone Gyi village, Palaw Township. “My family is now building a hut in someone else’s orchard.”

She added that about ten families currently sheltering in the Kyauk Lone Gyi village school are being forced to find new locations as the school prepares to reopen for the new term.

While an aid group provided 400,000 Kyats per household on May 21, the costs remain high. “People are building huts, but it’s said that contractors are charging 1 million Kyats for a complete hut. I don’t know how those who can’t afford it will manage,” she said.

In Palaw Township, the entire population of Sin Htoe Gyi village remains displaced. According to a May report by the research group FE5 Tanintharyi, there are now over 83,000 IDPs across the Tanintharyi Region due to armed conflict and airstrikes.