Clashes displace people from over 20 villages in Buthidaung Township

By Sein Ko Ko 30 May 2019

Sein Ko Ko | DMG

May 30, Sittwe

Since clashes are occurring in Buthidaung Township, people from over 20 villages are fleeing from their homes.

In early May, military columns entered ethnic villages along the Sai Din creek in Buthidaung Township such as Pyin Chaung, Myoma Chaung, Zee Ywar and more, this action resulted in villagers fleeing from these villages.

“The situation in our region is not good. We’ve heard that clashes broke out in Kyauktan in Rathedaung Township. So, we were worried that fighting would occur in our village too when soldiers enter our village. So, we fled from our homes,” a woman from Pyin Chaung village told the DMG.

Almost all villagers left their homes, a few elderly people stayed behind as guards for their villages.

“When we heard they (Myanmar Army) entered our village, we hired boats to take us to Kyar Nyo Pyin village. We received news from nearby villages that soldiers arrived at our village in the early morning,” said a man from Pyin Chaung village.

Villagers who fled their homes are now taking refuge in the monastery in Kyar Nyo Pyin village and Zeyar Ywama monastery in Buthidaung town.

A military column recently arrived at Kyar Nyo Pyin village and stayed at the village monastery and seized mobile phones and interrogated villagers. They also took photos of villagers, news sources of the DMG confirmed.

“They (soldiers) did nothing. They are staying at the monastery. We have to inform military officials whenever we go outside and we have to conceal our mobile phones if the military hadn’t confiscated them already. When we told military personnel that we didn’t have mobile phones and they threatened us if they saw us using phones. They told us we don’t need to be afraid of them,” a villager who wants to remain anonymous told the DMG.

“They seized phones from villagers. They asked the number of family members per household and took photos of us. They did the same in the village,” the villager said.

Recently, clashes occurred in Buthidaung Township and some organizations go to villages to provide aid that’s been stopped previously by the military, said U Aung Thaung Shwe, Pyithu Hluttaw representative for Buthidaung Township.

The senior monk of Zeyar Ywama monastery in Buthidaung town told the DMG that some displaced people are facing difficulties with their day-today living. Some families could not return home so youngsters couldn’t apply to school because their certificates to register were in another village, the monk said.

In addition, teachers could not return to their villages to perform their academic duties for the new academic year, the monk added.

People from Pyai Chaung, Myoma Chaung and U Yin Tha villages are taking refuge in Kyar Nyo Pyin village.

The DMG contacted an administrator of Kyar Nyo Pyin village to know about the situation in the monastery where soldiers are positioned and the village, but he refused to give comment.