Charity’s food banking runs afoul of authorities’ Covid crowding concerns in Sittwe

By DMG 01 Aug 2021

DMG Newsroom
1 August 2021, Sittwe 

Authorities in the Arakan State capital Sittwe put the kibosh on a local charity’s plans to distribute low-cost basic foodstuffs to those in need over the weekend, with the officials citing fears that the event would draw a crowd during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The “Buy Everything With K50” campaign was being spearheaded by the Arakha Yinkhwin Charity Youths Association and was scheduled for Saturday evening.  

Campaign organisers had planned to hold the event in front of the Tea Crazy Sittway shop in Sittwe’s Oh Tan ward, but local authorities intervened to prevent it from taking place, said Ko Nay Thurein Lin, chairman of the charity group. 

“We were forced to cancel the campaign by officials from the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement and the district police chief. I think there were about 100 policemen and more than 10 soldiers with the authorities,” he told DMG. 

The charitable campaign was preparing to sell rice, eggs, beans, onions, and instant noodles to 200 households at a price of only K50 ($0.03). 

In the wake of authorities’ decision to prohibit the event, organisers are revising their plans. 

“We have already prepared for the campaign. ... As the plan did not work out, we’ll try to donate basic food items by car to avoid crowds,” Ko Nay Thurein Lin explained. 

The food items will primarily be distributed to the grassroots in Setyonsu, Danyawady, Kone Tan and Mingan wards. 

A crowd gathered in Sittwe’s Bauk Thee Su ward on July 28 when basic foodstuffs were distributed to the grassroots.