Travel restrictions remain in place for NGOs in some Arakan State townships

04 Jan 2023

DMG Newsroom
4 January 2022, Sittwe 

Myanmar’s military regime continues to bar local and international nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) from helping displaced people in Arakan State, more than one month after an informal truce between the military and Arakan Army (AA) was reached.

A manager from an international NGO in Sittwe said junta travel restrictions have effectively barred aid agencies from operating in eight Arakan State townships.

“Displaced people may have hardships as we can’t travel to help them,” he said.

The regime imposed travel restrictions on local and international NGOs on July 18, initially preventing them from travelling to Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Minbya, Mrauk-U and Myebon townships. It also prohibited their travelling to Kyauktaw and Pauktaw townships in November.

International aid agencies have demanded that the travel restrictions be lifted, but there has been no response from the regime to date.

“Travel restrictions are still in place. Nothing has changed yet,” said the manager of an INGO.

DMG was unable to obtain comment from Arakan State Security and Border Affairs Minister Colonel Kyaw Thura and Arakan State Administration Council spokesman U Hla Thein.

After months of renewed fighting, the AA observed an informal ceasefire with the Myanmar military on humanitarian grounds on November 26.

But displaced people continue to suffer as the regime has not yet lifted NGO-related travel restrictions.

U Win Maung, who is taking shelter at the Myo U Gaung displacement camp in Mrauk-U, said: “It is the cold season now and we need blankets and jackets. Previously, we could get them from local and international NGOs. What’s worse, we don’t have access to healthcare services as the regime also bans NGOs from providing healthcare services.”

Displaced people are suffering considerable hardships as food prices have soared and it has become more difficult to get well-paying jobs.

Activist Ko Kyauk Chaing said it is unacceptable that the regime has imposed travel restrictions on local and international NGOs.

“The regime is tormenting not only Arakanese people, but almost the entire country. It does not help the affected people; instead it disturbs the people helping them. We have been forced to travel secretly to help them. It is a despicable act to impose travel restrictions on NGOs,” he said.

Nearly 21,000 people uprooted by the renewed fighting in Arakan State and Paletwa Township, Chin State, remained displaced as of mid-November, and the number of IDPs including those who were displaced by previous military-AA fighting and remain in IDP camps stood at about 95,000, according to a United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) report on December 3.