Government employees go without salaries

By Admin 03 May 2024

DMG Newsroom
3 May 2024, Sittwe

Myanmar’s military regime has suspended salaries for government employees in Arakan State’s Pauktaw, Ponnagyun, Rathedaung, Buthidaung, Maungdaw, Kyauktaw and Minbya townships.

Except for staff of some departments in Sittwe and Maungdaw, government employees in other townships have not received their monthly salaries for three months.

“We have not got salaries for three months. The head of the township education department has told us nothing. We are government employees with only monthly salaries,” said an education staff member from Ponnagyun Township.

Government employees in Ponnagyun Township have not received salaries since February.

Two weeks after renewed fighting broke out in mid-November of last year, the regime threatened education staff with punitive action if they failed to go to work. However, fighting has forced closures of schools, with teachers fleeing the fighting.

A healthcare worker from Pauktaw town said: “We haven’t received salaries since the fighting broke out in Pauktaw. We don’t know when we will get our salaries.”

Government employees in Ramree, Kyaukphyu, Taungup, Manaung and Thandwe townships in southern Arakan State have received their monthly salaries as usual, DMG has learnt.

An agriculture department employee in Taungup said: “We still get our salaries as usual. Salaries are not late more than two days. Departments are still operating as normal.”

Fighting has been raging in Arakan State since November 13. Communications have been cut off in Arakan State, unemployment is high and most people are facing material hardship.