"Nearly 700 local villagers have fled their homes in recent days as the Burma Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) continue to clash in northern Shan State’s Namhsan Township despite unilateral ceasefires declared by both sides in the conflict. According to Shan State MP U Thein Zaw, internally displaced persons (IDPs) are flooding into the town of Namhsan to escape the latest outbreak of violence. “There are 369 displaced villagers staying at Zayanggyi Monastery in Namhsan, and there are more at Phayagyi Monastery. A total of nearly 700 villagers have already arrived in Namhsan,” Thein Zaw told NMG. The sudden influx has created an urgent need for food and other basic necessities, he added. “They need food, medicine, clothing and shelter. They couldn’t bring their blanket or clothes, so the IDPs have to sleep on the ground in the monastery. But what they need most of all is food,” he said. So far, he said, local people and civil society organizations have provided some food and other aid to the IDPs at Zayanggyi Monastery, but those staying at Phayagyi Monastery have yet to receive any assistance..."