Regime asked not to forcibly relocate Arakan IDPs in Ayeyarwady Region

By Admin 25 Dec 2024

DMG Newsroom
25 December 2024, Gwa

The Gwa Township IDPs assistance team on December 25 appealed to Myanmar’s military regime not to forcibly relocate people displaced by fighting in Gwa Township, Arakan State, who are taking shelter in Ayeyarwady Region.

The assistance team has called on the relevant authorities in Ayeyarwady Region to respect the human right to freedom of movement and to undertake humanitarian measures to aid displaced civilians.

“We call on the military regime to accept the human rights of Arakanese IDPs and not to forcibly relocate them,” said Ko Naing Aung Lin, information officer of the Gwa Township IDPs assistance team.

On December 23, junta-appointed village administrators, police and soldiers pressured about 900 Arakanese IDPs in Kwa Tauk Ward and Kon Pyin Village in Yekyi Township, Ayeyarwady Region, to leave within two days.

The Gwa Township IDPs assistance team said it feels sorry for the displaced people who have been forced to relocate and will do its best to help them.

“Some of the displaced have moved. Others are still assessing the situation, as they have nowhere else to move,” said an Arakanese IDP taking shelter in Yekyi Township.

Ongoing clashes have displaced thousands of local people in Gwa and Thandwe townships to Ayeyarwady and Bago regions, which share a border with Arakan State.

In addition to the forced relocation of Arakanese IDPs in Ayeyarwady Region, Arakan ID card holders are also being strictly checked and some have been arrested at checkpoints.

As an Arakkha Army (AA) offensive approaches Gwa Town, the regime has increased security checkpoints and carried out raids along the border with Ayeyarwady Region.