Refugees from Tin Nyo IDP camp in face harsh conditions

13 Jul 2019

Chan Aye | DMG   

13 July, Mrauk-U

About 3000 refugees from Tin Nyo IDP camp in Mrauk-U Township have been affected by  flood while they live in squalor and lack health care and educational service, according the officials from the camp.

The camp is a shelter for over 700 households and most of them are from Auk Tha Kan, Lekka, Bu Ywet Ma Hnyo and Pauk Pin villages.

“The camp is the flooded and there’s insufficient shelters. At first there were about 200 households, now it’s reached to 721 households with nearly 3000 people. It is difficult for us to get housing materials such as bamboo, wooden poles and nipa palm leaves to build new shelters for new arrivals,” said U Soe Naing, member of the committee for Tin Nyo IDP camp.

The majority of refugees in the camp are older people, women and some that are pregnant, disabled people and students. Men are working in their villages doing farming.

The regional government said that it is building nine IDP camps, 100 ft by 30 ft wide, in six conflict affected townships.

The government did not build shelters in Tin Nyo camp, so about 100 households cannot be provided shelters at the moment, but the camp’s officials are trying to build shelters with the help of village administrators and donors, officials from the camp said.

If heavy rain continues, IDPs from the camp will encounter more challenges, U Soe Naing predicted.

There are more than 50,000 IDPs in Arakan State due to ongoing skirmishes between the Tatmadaw and the AA, and they are concerned for their lives and food during the rainy season.