Presence of alleged drug users around Sittwe’s main lake unnerves capital residents 

By Admin 11 Mar 2021

DMG Newsroom
10 March 2021, Sittwe 

With drug users allegedly congregating around Kandawgyi — the main water supply lake for the Arakan State capital Sittwe — nearby residents are worried about their security, the latter said. 

Daw Soe Soe Myint, a resident of Ward No. 4 near the lake, said she previously went to the lake alone to carry drinking water for her home, but that she did not dare to go there alone since two years ago because of the presence of the drug users around the lake. 

“I only dare go to the lake now with a group, at least two or three,” she said. 

“Previously, the lake was crowded with people who came to carry water or who were washing their heads near the lake. Subsequently, bushes have grown up at the bank of the lake and the users of WY [yaba] tablets are loitering there,” she said.  

“My family members are municipal staff who supply water to the town. I always go to the lake,” said U Sein Tun Maung, a resident near the lake. “I’ve seen some strangers at the lake at night. I saw them in a group of three or four people. I saw some people who are using drugs in the bushes. I always take a slingshot whenever I go there.” 

He added that attempted robberies have been reported frequently around the lake recently, and that he had not heard of arrests in most cases. 

An 18-year-old man from Min Gan Ward (who asked for anonymity) was stabbed by an unknown assailant who stole his phone while he was on a date with his girlfriend at the lake on February 22, according to the Shwe Yaung Metta Foundation, which provides help to emergency medical patients. 

A police officer of Sittwe Myoma police station who did not want to reveal his name said there are military and police outposts near the lake and security forces sometimes patrol the area, where they mostly see young couples.