IDP camps in Mrauk-U must be reduced to ensure UNESCO heritage listing: Archaeology Dept. official

By DMG 10 Feb 2022

DMG Newsroom
10 February 2022, Mrauk-U

Internally displaced people (IDPs) who are temporarily taking shelter within the bounds of the ancient city of Mrauk-U are an obstacle for attempts to list it as a World Heritage Site, according to officials from the Department of Archaeology and National Museum.

There are more than 10 IDP camps in Mrauk-U town, including settlements near Shithaung Pagoda, Koe Thaung Pagoda and Lawka Man Aung Pagoda.

U Kyi Khin, director of the Department of Archaeology and National Museum, Sittwe Branch, said the number of IDP camps need to be reduced because they are an obstacle to Mrauk-U being listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

“If there are many people near the pagodas, it will affect the ancient zone because of their waste. We restrict opening betel quid shops there now. We must reduce IDPs here,” he said.

U Soe Thet, the administrator of Mrauk-U Township, said he will take steps to reduce rubbish, address squatters’ issues, and meet the needs of IDPs in the archeological zone.

“The IDP camps in the town are a challenge for the effort to list Mrauk-U among UNESCO-listed heritage sites. Rubbish and squatters do not comport with the standards of UNESCO. We will reduce them gradually,” he said.

An anonymous IDP from Myo Oo Gaung IDP camp in Mrauk-U town said IDPs who are sheltering within the ancient area will face more difficulties with accommodation and livelihood if they have to move from the IDP camps in the town.

“We are living here temporarily. If we have to move from here in order to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we will face difficulties because we do not have money and nowhere to go. We have hopes for what the government will do for us,” he said.

U Hla Thein, a spokesperson for the Arakan State regime council, told DMG that Mrauk-U IDP camps will be relocated to more suitable places if they are determined to be obstacles to listing the ancient city as a World Heritage Site.

Experts from Italy are in Mrauk-U this month to inspect the ancient site, and a decision on whether or not it should be listed as a World Heritage Site is expected from UNESCO in mid-2023.