Scores of Manaung residents stranded in Taungup

By Admin 29 Dec 2023

DMG Newsroom
29 December 2023, Taungup

About 100 patients from Manaung Township and relatives taking care of them are stranded in Taungup, where they are receiving medical treatment, as junta travel restrictions make it impossible for them to return to Manaung.

Previously, the regime allowed Manaung residents to leave Manaung on health grounds, and to return to Manaung. But since December 4, the regime only allows them to leave Manaung, barring them from returning to the town.

“Previously, we could travel using health documents. But since December 4, only those close to junta personnel are allowed to leave Manaung, but no one can return,” said a Manaung resident.

Manaung has a 50-bed public hospital, but due to various reasons including lack of pharmaceuticals, some residents prefer to receive medical treatment elsewhere, including at hospitals in Taungup, Kyaukphyu, Yangon and Mandalay.

Some Manaung residents stranded in Taungup are running out of cash, and have difficulties paying for accommodation and meals.

“It costs at least 10,000 kyats a day for a person to stay at a guesthouse and eat. Those who have been stranded for long have run out of money,” said a Manaung resident who is stranded in Taungup.

Manaung is an island town located in isolation in the Bay of Bengal. Boats are the only mode of transport available for Manaung residents to get to other townships.

Despite the fact that there is no fighting in Manaung Township, the regime has banned fishing in the surrounding sea, as well as prohibiting sea travel.

As a result, food and pharmaceutical stocks are running low in Manaung Township, and low-income families are going hungry, according to residents.

“Manaung Island is blockaded by naval vessels. We can’t leave the town secretly. They have blockaded the town for more than one month. It has become increasingly difficult to buy food and medicines,” said a woman from Manaung.

According to the 2019 population census, Manaung had a population of more than 57,000 people, and is made up of five wards and over 130 villages. The rural population mainly engages in fishery and livestock breeding for their livelihoods.