Kaman villagers call for unimpeded access to Arakan State capital

By DMG 26 Apr 2021

DMG Newsroom
26 April 2021, Sittwe

Local residents of Thinganet village, a settlement populated by ethnic Kaman people in Sittwe Township, are speaking out about the difficulty they have in accessing the Arakan State capital as Myanmar’s military has blocked the route for years.

There were previously three roads connecting Thinganet village to the city of Sittwe, but the military has barred villagers from using the shortest route since June 2016, imposing a serious hurdle to employment prospects, and education and healthcare access for villagers.

“We had used that route for nearly 20 years. Then Battalion 1 confiscated the farmland near the road, and Sittwe Regional Operations Command confiscated the rest,” said community elder U San Thar Aung of Thinganet village. “The farmers attempted to stop them, and the military personnel out of anger blocked that road for more than four years now.”

The impact on travel times to the state capital has been significant: While it only took a few minutes to get from Thinganet village to Sittwe on the road now blockaded, using the longer alternative route takes nearly an hour.

“That road takes longer and is bumpy. It is quite difficult to send a pregnant woman to hospital if she is to give birth at night,” said villager U Saw Myint, who urged authorities to reopen access to the shortest route to Sittwe.

Information officer U Hla Thein of the Arakan State Administration Council said: “We still have no plans to review the decisions made during armed conflict. We still have no plans to discuss whether or not to reopen that route.”

There are three villages of the predominantly Muslim Kaman people in the greater Sittwe region — Tharyargon, Thinganet and Thakelpyin — and most locals make a living by farming.