Paletwa Twsp residents seek land route reopening

11 Mar 2021

DMG Newsroom
11 March 2021, Kyauktaw  

Local passengers worry about their safety given that the main waterway from Arakan State’s Kyauktaw Township to Paletwa Township in Chin State will only be navigable after seeking permission from security checkpoints set up by the Tatmadaw. 

The main land route between Kyauktaw and Paletwa remains closed. 

U Aung Aung, a resident of Paletwa town, said that although the Tatmadaw had allowed local people to travel by water, some locals did not dare to go because they were worried about the road as no official letter had been issued. 

“I think the locals are worried because the Tatmadaw is currently conducting security checks. Boat fares have gone up from K2,000 to K5,000 now. Currently, few people travel by boat,” he said. 

The Department of Marine Administration has been operating the Kyauktaw-Paletwa waterway only two days a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, since March 8. 

Local people have to travel by boat with the permission of the 289^th Light Infantry Battalion near Paletwa and No 9^th military brigade near a prominent sugar mill in Kyauktaw Township. 

“I would like to express thanks to the Tatmadaw for opening the Paletwa-Kyauktaw waterway. With the reopening of the Paletwa-Kyauktaw water route, Paletwa residents, who depend on Kyauktaw for their livelihood, are no longer struggling to make ends meet. It is more convenient for those who work hard on the waterway,” said U Tin Tun Aung, a Paletwa resident. 

Although the waterway is open, it is not yet known when the land route will be reopened, with locals urging that the land route be reopened soon. 

Colonel Min Than, a member of the Arakan State Administration Council, said a letter could not be issued because the water depth was being assessed. 

“Locols can now travel legally by water. What is not yet published is that we are assessing the depth of the water. Landmines have not been cleared yet. It is unknown when the land road will be reopened,” he added.  

Colonel Min Than told the Narinjara News Agency that passenger ships would resume from Sittwe in Arakan State to Kyauktaw and Paletwa in Chin State to speed up traffic and commodity flows.