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“We are aware that various local partners have done good work,” she says, adding that “it is not correct to make judgments about one organization or another.”

“The international NGOs are concerned about impartiality,” says La Rip. “They think that we are too close to the KIO.” But, he asks, “What option do we have? The UN is not here, the NGOs are not here. Only the KIO has the trucks and the money to bring supplies to the camps, up high in the mountains. Should we just leave the IDPs alone, and not help, just to try prove some sort of 'independence'?”

“We [the KIO] have spent two billion kyat on helping the 46,000 IDPs already,” says Labang Doi Pyi Sa.“There are over 30 camps in our territory, but some are up in the mountains where it is cold and hard to reach. It is a big burden and impossible for us to take care of the IDPs on our own.”

Barbara Manzi acknowledges that “the existing conditions for humanitarian work are challenging,” adding that the looming monsoon season, due in April, will make aid work even more difficult. So with no end to the fighting in sight, and the rainy season approaching, the needs of IDPs will likely grow.

“We will need more plastic and tarpaulins for shelter,” says Maran Tu. “And more medical supplies, as the rain will bring disease.”

Pointing to the several families gathered in the WPN yard, collecting their twice-monthly ration of rice, oil, salt, soya beans, dry fish and soap, he adds that “right now we need around 100,000 yuan per day just to feed the 20,000 IDPs we support.”

The Irrawaddy sought comment from Oxfam and Trócaire (the Irish section of Caritas, the Catholic Church's humanitarian and development agency) as two NGOs that have contributed to helping Kachin IDPs. However, neither organization replied at the time of publication.