Two more cremation chambers added to Sittwe cemetery

08 Feb 2023

DMG Newsroom
8 February 2023, Sittwe

Two more cremation chambers are being built at the Arkyeiktaw graveyard in Sittwe, according to the local Free Funeral Services Society (FFSS-Sittwe).

With the two new chambers, the graveyard will have a total of four cremators, said U Oo Htun Hlaing, secretary of the FFSS-Sittwe.

“The cremator needs to rest after every cremation. We need to clear the ashes from cremation. The cremators would break from excessive heat when bodies are cremated one after another in a short period. With two more cremators, we can use them alternately,” he said.

Construction of two new cremators began in late January, funded by local donors from Arakan State. The two cremation chambers are estimated to cost more than K68 million, and K56.5 million has been received so far, according to the FFSS-Sittwe.

Authorities should also make contributions toward the construction of cremators, said Sittwe resident Ma Mi Che.

“There have been more squatters in Sittwe, and there is also an increase in people moving to Sittwe from other parts of Arakan State. So, more cremators will be needed. Authorities should also take responsibility,” she said.

Annually, some 1,000 people die in Sittwe, approximately 300 of whom are from other parts of Arakan State who die while receiving treatment in Sittwe, according to U Oo Tun Hlaing.

“Some patients die while receiving medical treatment in Sittwe. Their family members do not take their bodies back to their hometowns, but rather have them cremated in Sittwe,” he said.

More than 900 deaths were recorded in Sittwe in 2020. The Arakan State capital saw nearly 1,400 deaths in 2021, with that increase partly attributable to the Covid-19 pandemic. The number ticked up slightly last year, to around 1,400, according to the FFSS-Sittwe.