Locals demand resumption of Mrauk-U airport project

30 Jan 2023

DMG Newsroom
30 January 2023, Mrauk-U

Intended to link the ancient Arakanese capital to other Myanmar cities by air, an airport construction project on the outskirts of Mrauk-U has been stalled since 2017, even as government departments and local organisations are working to designate Mrauk-U as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Residents want the airport project to be revived as improved transportation is considered key to regional development.

“We want the government to continue implementing the Mrauk-U airport project. If the implementation of Mrauk-U airport is not continued, the money spent earlier will be wasted. Therefore, I would like to urge the military council to implement this project,” said U Oo Than Hlaing, a resident of Mrauk-U.

The Mrauk-U airport project was started in the financial year 2015-2016 at a cost of more than K4 billion by Hsu Htoo San Co., Ltd, but only the runway and some buildings were completed in the project area, and the project was halted in 2017.

The Mrauk-U airport project is located on some 650 acres of land near Nankyar Village, on the Sittwe-Yangon road, more than 4 miles east of Mrauk-U town.

Upon completion of the airport project, local and foreign travellers will be able to visit Mrauk-U directly instead of going through Sittwe and Kyaukphyu.

“We are working to develop tourism in Mrauk-U, so if the construction of this airport is completed, it will be convenient for not only local visitors but also tourists to visit Mrauk-U,” said U Than Tun, chairman of the Mrauk-U Tour Guide Association. “Travellers don’t have to go through Sittwe; they can travel directly from Yangon to Mrauk-U in a short time. Travellers now have to travel through Sittwe to get to Mrauk-U, causing many delays. That’s why I want the government to resume this airport project.”

At present, local visitors and foreign tourists most frequently travel to Kyaukphyu or Sittwe via Yangon, and then onward to Mrauk-U town by land and water routes.

U Tun Tha Sein, a former lawmaker from Mrauk-U Township’s No. 1 constituency, submitted a motion to kickstart the development at an Arakan State parliamentary session in February 2017, and although the proposal was approved by legislature, the Mrauk-U airport project was never resumed.

“The military regime has no interest in continuing the implementation of the Mrauk-U airport project. The fact that the government did not fully implement the needs of the people means that the wishes of the people are not respected. Therefore, the military council should fulfil the wishes of the people,” the ex-legislator added.

When DMG contacted Police Colonel Thet Lwin, the Arakan State minister for road transport, to ask how the Mrauk-U airport project might be begun anew, he responded that the question should be asked of the ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) government.

Mrauk-U is renowned for its ancient cultural heritage, and its bid for UNESCO World Heritage status is ongoing.