缅甸难民涌入中国

Up to 10,000 refugees have fled to an area in southwestern Yunnan province, driven by fighting between Myanmar's military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), one of the country's most powerful rebel groups. Many of the refugees are women, children and elderly people.

由于近日缅甸军队与该国很强大的反叛组织之一的“克钦族独立军”发生冲突，缅甸1万多难民逃亡至中国云南省西南部地区。难民中大多为妇女、儿童和老人。

Fighting erupted after a 17-year-old ceasefire broke down last June, sending ethnic Kachins fleeing to the border area.

去年6月，双方长达17年的停战协议被打破，冲突从此暴发，致使克钦族人逃往边境地区。

Although the intensity of the fighting has eased, aid groups fear that more people will flee and exacerbate dire conditions. The Chinese government tolerates the camps, but does not officially recognize their existence.

虽然目前战争的激烈程度已经得到缓和，但是援救队担心还会有更多人选择逃亡，糟糕的境况将进一步恶化。中国政府没有对缅甸难民在自己国土上扎营的行为进行干预，但是也没有官方宣布允许他们逗留此地。

"All of them don't have pure drinking water," a member of the local aid group said by telephone from Myanmar.

援助组织的工作人员通过电话从当地告诉我们：“所有难民都没有纯净的饮用水可以喝。”

"In some camps, outbreaks of dysentery are taking place. We do not have enough food items to provide for them. We have a very limited budget for them. And they do not have regular incomes, nowhere to work and nowhere to earn money."

“在一些营地里，很多人都发生了腹泻症状。我们没有足够的食物提供他们，我们只有非常有限的一笔预算。而他们自己也没有固定收入。没有地方让他们工作，没有地方让他们赚钱糊口。”

中国陷入外交困境

The risk of fighting spreading across the highly militarized border region and of the arrival of new waves of refugees are particular worries for China.

中缅边境地区局势复杂，难民涌入可能造成战争蔓延，同时也可能引来新一轮的难民潮，这些问题都将成为中国政府目前的忧虑。

Yunnan provincial authorities have told the refugees to leave, but have not threatened force or sealed the border, aid groups said.

援助组织表示，云南省当地政府已呼吁难民离开，但没有采取强制措施，也并未封锁边境。

"It poses a dilemma for the Chinese; it could cause strained relations with the Burmese government if they are seen as being supportive of the Kachin Independence Army, KIA, and by extension the refugees," Bertil Lintner, a Myanmar expert, said in emailed comments.

缅甸问题研究导师Bertil Lintner在邮件评论中表示，“中国政府现在处在进退两难的境地。难民暂时滞留中国境内，目前难民数量还在持续增多。这可能会被缅甸政府认为是中国支持克钦族独立军的讯息，造成中国与缅甸政府关系紧张。”

Fighting has continued despite an order in December by President Thein Sein to end operations. That cast doubt on whether the former general leading the country has full control over the military.

缅甸总统吴登盛曾在12月签署命令停止军事行动，但内战冲突依旧持续，国际社会怀疑这位前任将军对军队并没有完整的控制权。

In the past eight months, the refugee population inside China has grown dramatically, said Moon Nay Li, coordinator for the Kachin Women's Association in Thailand. She says more than 10,000 Kachin refugees are in Yunnan, most of them women.

泰国克钦妇女协会的协调员孟奈里表示，在过去的八个月中，中国境内的难民数量急剧增加，目前在中国云南有超过万民的克钦族难民，其中大部分为妇女。

International aid organizations such as U.N. agencies have not been able to provide sustained assistance, aid groups said.

当地的援助组织称，联合国机构等相关国际援助组织都还没能提供长期的持续援助。