Long-displaced Tinma villagers persist in campaign for home return

By DMG 30 Dec 2022

DMG Newsroom
30 December 2022, Kyauktaw

Displaced residents of Tinma Village in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State, continue to demand that the regime arrange for their return amid an informal ceasefire between the military and the Arakan Army (AA).

Venerable U Wayamida, abbot of the Tinma Village monastery, said the displaced villagers have asked the military regime to clear landmines and rebuild the houses that were destroyed by fire during previous military-AA fighting so that they can return to their home village.

“Tinma villagers are reluctant to return home due to the military’s presence near the village. Only if the military regime fully guarantees the safety of the Tinma villagers will they return home. But the military council has not yet responded to our request,” the abbot added.

Hundreds of homes in Tinma Village were set on fire in March 2020 during the conflict between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army, and many villagers affected by the fighting continue to shelter at displacement camps.

The two sides reached an informal ceasefire arrangement in November 2020. Starting in April 2021, a total of eight letters were sent to junta chief Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing and the state military council, seeking approval for the return of internally displaced people (IDPs) to Tinma Village.

That ceasefire broke down in August of this year, however. After months of fighting, the two sides entered into a second informal ceasefire on November 26 on humanitarian grounds. Tinma villagers sent a letter to the regime chief for the ninth time on December 12, once again seeking approval for their return.

“If we return home, how much security can the military council provide?” asked a resident of Tinma Village who did not want to be named for security reasons. “We will be able to return home only if the military council rebuilds the houses that were destroyed by the fire, clears landmines and explosive remnants of war, and provides the rights we deserve such as [access to] healthcare and education. We don’t want to stay in the cramped displacement camps.”

Ma Mi Aye Win, another IDP from Tinma Village, said that since IDPs are in crisis due to lack of regular aid, they want to resettle and work in their home village.

“I want to return home and I no longer want to take refuge at the displacement camp. Our jobs are also not convenient, and it has become difficult for our children’s education. I want to resettle in our village. I would like to urge the regime to clear landmines, repair damaged homes and withdraw junta troops near the village so that we can return home,” she explained.

DMG phoned Arakan State military council spokesman U Hla Thein for comment on the displaced Tinma villagers’ situation, but he could not be reached.

Some IDPs in Arakan State and Paletwa Township, Chin State, have returned home since the November 26 ceasefire, and the state military council is reportedly gathering lists of IDPs to be sent back to their places of origin.