Junta restricts water travel between Pauktaw Twsp and Sittwe

By DMG 19 Oct 2022

DMG Newsroom
19 October 2022, Pauktaw

Myanmar’s military regime has ordered passenger boat services in Pauktaw Township that operate routes between Pauktaw and the Arakan State capital Sittwe to suspend operations as of Thursday, according to boat owners.

Naval personnel have imposed “temporary travel restrictions at the order of upper-level authorities,” a boat owner who asked for anonymity told DMG, saying the order was in effect until further notice.

“We met a Navy ship near Thawin Chaung Creek today. They told me not to operate as of tomorrow. When I asked them why, they said it is an order from above. It is not a written order, but a verbal order,” he said.

Passenger boats from Pauktaw Township that were in Sittwe on Wednesday were told to return to Pauktaw immediately, said another boat owner who wished to remain anonymous.

“They [junta troops] told me not to dock at Sittwe. I told them I needed to moor for a while because I was carrying a lot of cargo. Then, they told me to finish [unloading] within an hour and leave immediately thereafter. So, I am racing against time,” he said at around noon on Wednesday. “They told me that they would come and arrest me later in the evening if I hadn’t left by then.”

Pauktaw Township has remained relatively stable, without any clashes reported between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA) since the two sides resumed hostilities elsewhere in the state.

“Pauktaw Township is a stable region. And the travel restrictions will cause a lot of trouble for us. We are licensed boat operators, operating with licences issued by the township municipality,” said another boat owner.

“What are we supposed to do in cases of health emergencies? The restrictions will harm the casual workers. We are also concerned that we will face fuel shortages. If we can’t buy fuel, our businesses will come to a halt,” one resident said.

Locals are also concerned that travel restrictions will result in soaring food and fuel prices as has occurred in other parts of Arakan State where curbs on transport have been imposed.

The regime has enforced restrictions on boat services in northern Arakan State since September. It also ordered the Shwe Pyi Tan ferry boat service on Wednesday to halt operations between Sittwe and Pauktaw.

There are 179 villages in Pauktaw Township, with a population of more than 170,000 people living in rural areas, according to data from the Home Affairs Ministry. The majority of those villages trade with Sittwe for their livelihoods.