Ethnic people from Burma, including Mon and Chin people, held a charity concert in Denmark to raise funds for Kachin refugees who have fled to the Chinese border following recent fighting between Kachin and Burmese government troops.

 Nai Htaw Monzel, an organizer of the concert, said that over 100 people joined the concert, including many local Danish people. The event raised 11,689 Danish krone ($2,071 US) to help the refugees.

Ethnic people from Burma, including Mon and Chin people hold concert in Denmark to benefit Kachin Refugees (Photo: Htaw Monzel)

Svaneke Bryghus, a well-known producer of beer in Denmark, and a shop called Netto offered free beer and juice to the Mon and Chin activists during the concert.

“We do not intend to raise a lot of money from the concert. We just intend to let other people know about the situation in Burma – especially in Kachin State where there is currently intense fighting and a lot of human right abuses,” Nai Htaw Monzel said.

During the concert, the organizers showed video and photos taken in Kachin areas where human rights abuses have forced tens of thousands of Kachin refugees to flee to the Chinese border.

There are over 200 ethnic Mon and Chin from Burma living in Denmark as refugees who have resettled in a third country.

Organizers said that they felt sad and moved to help when they saw recent news reports about Kachin refugees, so they came up the idea to hold the concert, which was led by a Chin singer.

During the event, some Mon and Chin youth sang modern songs, including Burmese songs, while Mon children also performed traditional dances.

“Mon and Kachin are different ethnic groups. We have different literature and culture, and even our religious beliefs are different. But there is one thing is similar between us, which is that we are oppressed by the military government,” said Nai Baw Koung, another organizer of the concert.

“Therefore, we need to help each other,” he said.

Fighting broke out in June in Burma’s northern Kachin State, which is partly controlled by the Kachin Independence Army and its political wing, the Kachin Independence Organisation, after a 17-year ceasefire was broken.

Meanwhile, Refugees International is extremely concerned for the safety of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) that are living in various camps in KIO-controlled areas whose shelters and camps are directly between the Burmese army and the KIO bases, said Lynn Yoshikawa, Refugees International's Southeast Asia Advocate.

"The conflict in Kachin State requires both immediate humanitarian assistance and long-term assistance," she told a news conference in Bangkok, after a recent visit to Myitkyina, the state capital, and other ethnic areas.

Aid agencies and sources in the area estimate between 30,000 and 40,000 people are living in makeshift jungle camps in KIO-controlled areas not accessible to many aid organizations, including the United Nations.

 

---