Residents of fire-ravaged Pharpyo and Lekka villages still awaiting pledged financial aid for home rebuilds

By DMG 20 Nov 2021

DMG Newsroom
20 November 2021, Minbya 

More than 200 houses from Pharpyo village, Minbya Township, and Lekka village, Mrauk-U Township, that were destroyed by fire during armed conflict in the region have been rebuilt, but the affected villagers say they have yet to receive full financial aid from the regime council. 

A total of 197 houses from Lekka village and 41 houses from Pharpyo village were destroyed by fire last year. 

The military regime has said it will provide K5 million for houses that were totally destroyed and K1 million for houses that were partially destroyed. 

Villages whose houses were totally destroyed were provided K3.5 million in what was to be the first of two tranches, but they have not yet received the second tranche of K1.5 million, said U Kyaw Nyunt, the Lekka village head. 

The second batch of funding was supposed to be provided in August. 

“Villagers are rebuilding their houses by buying construction materials on credit because they will be provided K5 million in total. Now, they cannot repay the loan as they have not been provided full financial aid,” he told DMG. 

More than 120 houses from Lekka village and 50 houses from Pharpyo village were partially destroyed and their owners have been provided K500,000 so far. 

U Tun Kyaw Phyu, a member of the committee for rebuilding houses destroyed by fire in Lekka village, said: “We submitted to the state government the list of houses that were completed rebuilding in September. But villagers have not yet been provided full financial aid so far.” 

“Not all houses were rebuilt as the villagers are not provided full financial aid,” said U Mya Tun, the Pharpyo village head. 

Some residents of Pharpyo village are sheltering at IDP camps, while others remain in the village. 

U Than Tun, a member of the Arakan State regime council, said: “The state government will provide the full financial aid as it has committed. The last batch of funds is delayed because of a banking issue.”