Hundreds of IDPs in remote Ponnagyun Twsp village face livelihood hardships

By Admin 21 Dec 2024

DMG Newsroom
21 December 2024, Ponnagyun

Some 600 internally displaced people (IDPs) from more than 120 households taking shelter in Nar Daung Kya Village, part of Arakan State’s Ponnagyun Township, are reportedly facing livelihood hardships as they have not received any relief supplies for one year.

Due to the difficulty of traveling to Nar Daung Kya Village and the lack of job opportunities in the area, IDPs are finding it difficult to make a living.

“It has been a long time since we fled the fighting. There are no other opportunities for work in this area except for fishing. Transportation is difficult to get to this village. We have borrowed money from people and we are in debt. No organisation has come to help us since we fled the fighting,” said an IDP woman from Sabahtar Village in Ponnagyun Township.

Hundreds of IDPs taking refuge in Nar Daung Kya Village are from villages such as Sabahtar, Yeyoepyin and Khamaungtaw in Ponnagyun Township and Wahbo Village in Sittwe Township.

IDPs were displaced by junta raids and arson attacks in some Ponnagyun Township villages in December of last year.

“It has been one year since we fled the fighting. We built makeshift [shelters] on our own. The village head collected K6,000 each from us in October, saying he would withdraw cash assistance for displaced civilians. We didn’t get our money back,” said an IDP woman, who refused to be named for security reasons.

According to the Ponnagyun Youth Organization, there are more than 60,000 displaced persons from Sittwe, Ponnagyun, and Rathedaung townships taking refuge in Ponnagyun.