Travel still not permitted to Phon Thar Chaung area of Minbya Township

By Aung Htein 21 Aug 2019

Aung Htein | DMG
August 21, Sittwe

Social organizations are still not permitted to go to the Phon Thar Chaung area of Minbya Township in Arakan State, said U Hla Thein Aung, the Pyithu Hluttaw member for Minbya Township.

More than 3,000 residents from 14 villages in the Phon Thar Chaung area have tried to flee their homes since August 4 due to fighting between the Tatmadaw and Arakan Army. Tatmadaw troops have forced them to return to their villages and have let only a few people travel to town to buy food.

“Only two or three people from a village are allowed to go to town for shopping, and they aren’t allowed to buy food for other people. The donors are also not permitted to go there to give assistance,” U Hla Thein Aung said.  

After 18 days of travel restrictions, residents are facing shortages of food and medicine.

“People are having health issues. Children cannot go to school. We have a clinic but the nurses aren’t able to come here,” a resident from Kyauk Sone village said a few days ago.

The affected villages also include Zayti Yan, Nga Tat, Kyaw Maw, Phon Thar Palei Taung, Ohe Pon Taung, Pyine Chaung, Ngan Tat, Nat Maw and Kyauk Sone.

U Hla Thein Aung said that when he asked the government to go and help the residents and provide them with food, he was later told that a population list was being collected in that area.

“I told the government that they should collect the names of people living there and provide them with what they need. The government said that they will try. Later the same day, an official from the information department sent me a message to my phone, saying, ‘they are collecting a list of people who are stuck’,” he said.

At the moment, the government has not started to provide help to more than 3,000 people stuck in Phon Thar Chaung area, and social organizations also aren’t allowed to go there and help.