Sittwe residents call for safety measures at View Point Beach after preteens drown

By DMG 29 Oct 2022

DMG Newsroom
29 October 2022, Sittwe

Sittwe residents are calling for arrangements to be made to ensure that the public is not at risk after the drowning of three children at View Point Beach in the Arakan State capital.

Three Grade 4 students drowned while playing at View Point Beach in Sittwe on October 22.

The Central Committee of the Students’ Union (Sittwe Township) issued a statement on October 28 urging local parents and the local government to either establish a restricted area at View Point Beach or otherwise take measures to prevent drowning deaths in the future.

“Locals want to know what kind of action the relevant officials will take to prevent this from happening again,” said Ko Thant Zin Oo, a resident of Sittwe.

Ko Thant Zin Oo added that while other countries’ beaches have restricted areas and erect signs to delineate rough waters and other hazards, this has not been done at View Point Beach in Sittwe.

Ko Lin Lin, chairman of the Myitta Yaungchi Association, a local charity in Sittwe, said they are planning to put up warning signs for visitors to View Point Beach.

“We are planning to put up signs on the rocks of Sittwe’s View Point Beach warning people not to go into the water [in certain areas]. In cooperation with the local government, we plan to launch campaigns so that drownings can be reduced,” he said.

Sittwe’s View Point Beach has CCTV cameras installed, but there is a need for surveillance for the safety of the people, said Ko Nyi Khaing Thwee, a resident of Sittwe.

“CCTVs are installed at Sittwe’s View Point Beach, but the purpose of installing it is important. There is security related to the local government as well as security for the people,” he added.

DMG continues to attempt to contact local government officials about what will be done to prevent tragedies like the drowning of the three children at View Point Beach, but has not yet received any response.

There were five drowning deaths at View Point Beach from August through October 2022, according to data compiled by the Myitta Yaungchi Association.