AA accuses junta of exacerbating hardship for displaced people in Arakan State

By Admin 28 Feb 2023

DMG Newsroom
28 February 2023, Sittwe

The Arakan Army (AA) has accused Myanmar’s military regime of “making things more difficult for people” by pushing those sheltering at displacement camps to return to their homes while it cannot guarantee their safety.

The regime has been forcing internally displaced people (IDPs) to return to their homes while junta troops are still deployed near their villages and the regime has not yet cleared landmines, said AA spokesman U Khaing Thukha.

“The Myanmar military has given some food and money to displaced people in Arakan State and forced them to return home against their wishes. It is in fact making things more difficult for displaced people by forcing them to return to their homes while there is no guarantee for their safety and social well-being,” the AA spokesman told a press conference on Monday.

Junta-appointed ministers including social welfare, relief and resettlement minister Dr. Thet Thet Khaing, international cooperation minister U Ko Ko Hlaing and Arakan State chief minister U Htein Lin recently visited displacement camps in Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, and Minbya townships as part of efforts to clear out the settlements.

On February 23, the regime told more than 2,000 displaced people in Minbya town to return to their homes, saying stability had been restored in the region. Each household was provided with 500,000 kyats and food supplies for one month.

Many of the people displaced by fighting are reliant on forests for their livelihoods. But the returnees are having difficulties as they dare not go into forests due to the risk of landmines.

Daw Zin Mar Nwe from Parpyo Village in Minbya Township said: “We have nothing to make a living in our village. We are dependent on forests for our livelihoods. We didn’t work on farms. Because landmines are not yet cleared, we dare not go into the forests to find food.”

People have returned to their homes following the ceasefire reached between the military and Arakan Army in late November, but 66,395 people remain at displacement camps for various reasons, U Khaing Thukha told Monday’s press conference.

Temporary shelters where displaced people are staying are crumbling, and IDPs need food supplies and basic consumer goods, said the AA spokesman, who urged local and international organisations to lend a helping hand.

“Displaced people are suffering from hardship as they are receiving less assistance from international agencies, which are the primary source of humanitarian assistance for them. They need a lot of humanitarian assistance from local and international humanitarian organisations,” said the AA spokesman.

Locals are also concerned that fighting might break out anytime, as the ceasefire is widely viewed as fragile.

“We don’t want to return,” said U Maung Maung Thein from Myo U Gaung displacement in Mrauk-U. “We have heard news about forced return. If fresh clashes break out again after we return, we will suffer more. We only want to return when we feel safe.”