AA seeks international aid for cyclone-hit people of Arakan State

By Admin 16 May 2023

DMG Newsroom
16 May 2023, Sittwe

The Arakan Army (AA) said Monday that local people in Arakan State affected by Cyclone Mocha urgently need food supplies, shelters, medicines and other emergency relief supplies.

The AA has urged foreign countries, including fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and international aid agencies to help cyclone-hit people as quickly as possible.

“For the time being, cyclone-hit people in Arakan State badly need shelters, food and medicines, but are receiving no help because communications are disrupted,” reads a statement from the ethnic armed group.

“My house was badly damaged. Almost all the houses in Sittwe sustained damage. If possible, I want international organisations to help,” said a female Sittwe resident.

With winds reaching speeds of 100 to 120 mph, hundreds of people are believed to have been killed by Cyclone Mocha in Arakan State, though an exact casualty figure has yet to be reported.

Residential and religious buildings, schools, lamp posts, communication towers and paddy fields were damaged or destroyed, but it will likely be weeks before the cyclone’s toll is thoroughly assessed.

In his speech to the people of Arakan State on Tuesday, AA chief Twan Mrat Naing also urged Arakanese people in other parts of the country and abroad to provide assistance for cyclone victims.

Cyclone Mocha made landfall near Sittwe on Sunday. Myanmar’s military regime on Monday declared all 17 Arakan State townships to be “natural disaster-affected regions” under Section 11 of the Natural Disaster Management Law.