In Arakan State, Risking Life and Limb for Safer Pastures

By Admin 08 Jun 2024

Written by May Gyi Shin
 
It was a pitch-black night. A group of people walked in complete silence. No one dared to speak as it could invite death. Except for the wind, it was a quiet night.
 
Suddenly, a burst of gunfire shattered the silence.
 
“We stayed quiet. We dared not turn the torch on our phones on. We dared not shout,” said U Aung Kyaw Min, 40, recounting the experience of his escape from Sittwe, Arakan State, as he and others fled to an area controlled by the Arakan/Arakkha Army (AA).
 
Around 50 Sittwe residents including U Aung Kyaw Min and his four family members fled in the first week of April for fear of possible fighting in the town, which has been isolated by the regime. Among them were children, the elderly and disabled persons.
 
“The route was very tough. We had to keep our balance on a small path due to the risk of landmines. There were many obstacles on the route,” he said.
 
“The children cried along the way. A girl could not see at night, and she cried as she could not walk. We had to comfort her,” he said.
 
U Aung Kyaw Min and others used three-wheelers to leave Sittwe. Then they walked for a distance before taking a boat. Normally, it only takes an hour to travel to the destination. But they spent the whole night getting there to avoid being spotted by junta soldiers.
 
The regime has planted landmines and naval mines on land routes and riverways around Sittwe.
 
“The regime has planted many mines on the route. They have created a minefield by digging the ground with a backhoe,” said U Aung Kyaw Min.
 
Though it normally costs 5,000 kyats to travel from Sittwe to the destination in now AA-controlled territory, they had to pay a minimum 500,000 kyats per head to agents.
 
“We had to pay 200,000 kyats to hire a tuk-tuk for a short distance. And it cost 200,000 kyats per head for the boat ride,” said U Aung Kyaw Min’s wife.
 
Another group of more than 100 Sittwe residents fled the town on April 20. They encountered junta soldiers on the way, and three died after stepping on landmines.
 
Some survivors lost their limbs. Nearly 100 residents including children were arrested by the regime. Some were released after they paid ransoms that junta soldiers asked for, but again, even then they are trapped in Sittwe.
 
“Many have been released. Some were released after they paid money. Detainees were kept separately. So, we don’t know how many have been released,” said a Sittwe resident.
 
Since renewed fighting began on November 13 of last year, the AA has seized large swaths of territory and effective control of nine townships, as well as Paletwa Township in neighbouring Chin State.
 
A total of 572,300 people from various townships across Arakan State have fled to areas held by the AA, the Humanitarian and Development Coordination Office of the United League of Arakan/Arakkha Army (ULA/AA) said on May 27.
 
Those fleeing have had to do so on foot, by boat and on three-wheeled motorbikes, many travelling long distances as they sought safer locales.
 
“Human traffickers do not guarantee the safety of the people. If you give money to the human traffickers, they will send you to a liberated area. If you are not lucky, you will be arrested or injured in a landmine blast. If you are lucky, you will reach the liberated area,” U Aung Kyaw Min explained.
 
The AA has seized much of northern Arakan State and has been stepping up offensive attacks to capture Maungdaw.
 
Local people in the Arakan State capital Sittwe are worried about the danger of landmines as junta soldiers have planted them around the city and at entry and exit security checkpoints. The regime has planted landmines around Sittwe to prevent residents from fleeing, in addition to torching boats.
 
“The regime is worried that residents in Sittwe will leave the Arakan State capital. The regime wants to use Sittwe residents as human shields when the fighting erupts,” said a social activist in Arakan State.
 
AA chief Major-General Twan Mrat Naing in April told residents of Sittwe and Kyaukphyu to evacuate their homes, saying the AA was preparing for “the decisive battle.”
 
Residents are trying to leave Sittwe in various ways, but some are still sheltered inside the town due to lack of financial means, security concerns, or other factors.
 
“The cost of fleeing to a liberated area is so high that it is not convenient for the family to escape. We are monitoring the situation. If possible, even now, we want to leave Sittwe,” said Sittwe resident Daw Hlaing Hlaing.
 
For months, thousands of locals in junta-held townships such as Sittwe, Maungdaw, Kyaukphyu, Thandwe, Taungup, Gwa, Manaung and Ann have been fleeing to locations deemed safer.
 
Despite junta blockades, the majority of Sittwe residents who wanted to have been able to leave their houses and escape to the so-called liberated areas. However, many say they are worried that they will face difficulties starting a new life in a new place.
 
“I don’t know when the fighting will end,”  said U Aung Kyaw Min, staring out at the road from the house he is currently renting. “We have no job in the new area. We have to start a new life. I don’t know how to survive until the latest fighting in Arakan State ends.”