In the early morning, around 7 AM, Maw Pheh Meh, a 35-year-old woman, and her three children can be seen carrying blankets as they walk across dew-covered grass fields from a spot deep in the forest.

Their daily routine involves sleeping in the forest at night and returning to their home at the IDP camp during the day.

Although Maw Pheh Meh’s family has a house with proper shelter in IDP camp they do not dare to sleep there at night. This is because they fear drone surveillance and airstrikes conducted by the military junta.

Maw Pheh Meh’s family lives in the Daw Noe Kuu IDP camp, near the Thai-Karenni border. The Daw Noe Ku IDP camp suffered an airstrike on July 12, 2023, that killed one civilian. Since then, the presence of military drones patrolling the area has become frequent, causing fear and anxiety among the camp residents.

Nightly drone scouting operations have intensified since the start of 2025, making families like Maw Pheh Meh increasingly worried.

Maw Pheh Meh and her family constantly worry about potential airstrikes whenever they hear the sound of drones or catch sight of one. Since drones are most commonly deployed for patrols during the night, they are forced to abandon the warmth and safety of their home and choose instead to sleep in the cold wilderness of the forested hills.

“We experienced airstrikes last year, so we are preparing in advance to avoid them. It’s better for us to take precautions. We’ve been sleeping in the forest for over a week,” said Maw Pheh Meh.

Every evening, as the sun sets, she and her three children carry essentials like blankets, cooking pots, dishes, and water to a temporary shelter in the forest. However, sleeping in the forest during cold nights has led to challenges such as insufficient blankets and health problems for the children due to the harsh weather.

“My children are always getting sick because of the cold. I constantly have to take them to the clinic. If we’re lucky, we’ll survive, but if not, we’ll all die together,” Maw Pheh Mae said with a tone of despair.

Every night, they sleep in a small makeshift hut in the forest and return to their home in the mornings. This routine has now stretched on for over a week, and the cold weather is becoming increasingly harsh.

Maw Pheh Meh is originally from Shar Daw Township. Following the coup and the subsequent battles, she sought shelter in an IDP camp near the Thai-Karenni border, a location that seemed safer due to its distance from military-controlled areas. She has been living there for three years, but the constant threat of the military’s intimidation weighs heavily on her which causes her emotionally exhausted.

Like Maw Pheh Meh, Maw Soe Myar, 37 years old, is also afraid of drone patrols and airstrikes, which is why she, too, has been forced to sleep in the forest. She shares how difficult it is not being able to sleep peacefully in her own home, surrounded by the warmth of her family and her belongings.

She explains, “On the first night I slept in the forest, I felt so upset. I just started breathing deeply, and tears started falling. I lay down in the cold, and the tears kept falling into my ears.”

For older IDPs, living in the forest is even harder. Maw Shar Myar, a woman in her 50s, said that when faced with threats, she becomes paralyzed with fear. “Whether we’re in the forest or the mountains if death comes, it will come. If we’re lucky, we won’t die,” she said, leaving her fate to chance.

Military drones frequently patrol between 4:00 and 4:30 AM, and when IDPs spot the red lights of drones, they alert each other and hide. This nightly surveillance has left many IDPs with sleep deprivation.

In the cold mornings of winter, many displaced persons, who often wake up early, try to light a fire to warm themselves. However, they are also concerned that the drones will detect their locations.

Waking up early in the cold weather and having to sleep in the mountains makes them alert, knowing that the cold temperatures can be harsh. Many mothers, while tending to their young children, start a fire and cook in the midst of the cold, but they worry about the drones detecting the smoke when they light the fire in the early mornings. They express their fear of being spotted by the drones once again.

“Every morning, drones fly around. One morning, my mother lit a fire because it was too cold, but when the drones flew close to us, their red lights flashed, and we thought they might launch an attack. We quickly ran and hid,” Maw Pheh Meh recalled.

Including Maw Pheh Meh, the displaced persons fled to areas far from the military regime’s troops, hoping to escape the sounds of battle and gunfire. However, they are still not free from the threat of drone attacks by the military.

During the New Year period of 2025, the military conducted at least five airstrikes on the towns of Loikaw, Dee Maw Hso, and the western part of Phekon near the Pekin village tract. In addition, drones have been carrying out daily surveillance in areas where civilians and IDP camps are located.

The military’s airstrikes and drone activities, particularly in Karenni State and along the border regions, continue to spread fear, with drones and heavy weaponry terrorizing the local population.

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