Tinma villagers see glimmer of hope for return home with possible government assistance

By DMG 08 Oct 2021

DMG Newsroom
8 October 2021, Kyauktaw 

Arakan State Minister for Security and Border Affairs Colonel Kyaw Thura has said that arrangements will be made to help the residents of Tinma village return home this month, according to the abbot of the village monastery. 

Colonel Kyaw Thura made the remarks during a meeting with the abbot, Venerable U Wayamida, that was held on October 7 to discuss the return of the Tinma villagers. 

“The minister asked me when we will return home. I replied that we will return home on October 22. I also told the minister that we want a response from the local government ahead of the return of the Tinma villagers. The minister pledged to me that the local government would try to help the Tinma villagers return home after seeking approval from the Union level,” the abbot explained. 

The monk said he also asked the minister to clear landmines in order for the villagers to more safely return to their homes. 

“We had a very good discussion yesterday. We are very delighted at the discussions,” U Wayamida said. “The exact date of the return of the Tinma villagers is not yet known, but we are pleased that the minister has said he will try his best.” 

DMG attempted to contact Colonel Kyaw Thura, the Arakan State minister for security and border, to enquire about the Tinma villagers’ return, but he could not be reached. 

In March 2020, the Tinma villagers fled their homes for safety amid clashes between the military and Arakan Army in March 2020, with dozens of houses torched after the village was largely emptied of inhabitants. 

A group of Tinma villagers who visited the village in March of this year said 132 houses and a monastery in the village were damaged or destroyed by the fires. 

“In addition to the landmine clearance, the government should rebuild the houses of the residents of Tinma village and help restore the lives of the villagers so that we can rebuild our lives,” said U Saw Thein, a resident of Tinma village. 

Many of the Tinma villagers have been living in camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) for more than 18 months, at times facing food shortages and other hardships in the camps. 

U Maung Kyaw Win, the administrator of Tinma, said that if the villagers return, they will need help to rebuild their houses and earn a living. 

“We want to return home but accommodation is important for us because we are now homeless. We can live in peace in our own community. The government needs to provide for our return,” he told DMG. 

An informal ceasefire in Arakan State has held firm for about a year, but many IDPs in the state remain reluctant to return home, concerned about landmine risks and other difficulties.