IDPs in Paletwa Twsp pushed to return home

By DMG 30 Oct 2021

DMG Newsroom
30 October 2021, Paletwa (Chin State)

Internally displaced people (IDPs) in Paletwa, Chin State, report that efforts are underway to get them to go back home, sometimes through subsidies in what they say amounts to return arrangements that are semi-voluntary at best.

Landmines have not yet been cleared in and around the villages, and there are fears that returnees will not be able to work and eat as they once did, and will have difficulty moving around, according to an IDP taking shelter at a displacement camp set up near the Paletwa Township football grounds.

“Landmines have not been cleared in the communities yet, and the Myanmar military is forcing villagers to return home without their consent. We will not be able to earn a living because Tatmadaw troops are stationed near the village,” he said.

According to camp officials, the military council is providing K583,000 per household for the IDPs and K386,000 for families who need to repair their homes.

Residents from nine villages who had been staying in downtown Paletwa have reportedly returned home. About 500 villagers returned home on October 24 and 27, according to camp officials.

“The rest are waiting for cash assistance,” said U Kyaw Khaing, in-charge of a displacement camp located near the agricultural office in Paletwa, which has sheltered about 200 households. “They will return home if they receive cash aid.”

Since September of last year, the military council has repeatedly called for the return of IDPs sheltering in Paletwa.

U Ni Hla Aung from Mee Let Wa village said he was worried that he would have difficulty finding food and shelter if he returned home.

“We have been living as IDPs for two years without a job. I am worried that if I return to the village, I will face livelihood difficulties. We are concerned for our safety when we go to our farmland due to the risk of landmines. I am also worried that road transportation will not be as good as it used to be,” he said.

Around 7,000 IDPs are taking refuge at five temporary IDP camps in downtown Paletwa due to the conflict between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army (AA), which came to a tentative end toward the end of last year.