Vox Pop: Remembering ‘rice crisis day’ in Arakan State
13 Aug 2022
August 13 marked the 55th anniversary of “rice crisis day” in Arakan State, a date of tragic brutality in 1967, under the rule of dictator General Ne Win and his Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP). That year, Arakanese people faced severe food insecurity and starvation after a cyclone in May badly affected rice yields and the government refused to provide sufficient supplies of the stable grain, having instead over-allocated rice for export. Due to the scarcity, even those who could afford it were unable to buy rice. Some people in Arakan resorted to eating taro root and roselle, while others starved to death.