Arakan State residents who rely on forests for livelihood face difficulties

By Admin 22 May 2024

DMG Newsroom
22 May 2024, Ponnagyun

People in Arakan State who depend on the forests for their livelihoods say they are having trouble making a living due to the current lack of employment opportunities and rising commodity prices.

It has been about six months since the military clashed anew with the Arakkha Army (AA) in Arakan State, and those relying on the forests are facing livelihood hardships as timber and bamboo merchants cannot come to the villages to buy forest products due to the ongoing conflict.

“Bamboo merchants dare not come to our village due to the fighting. We are facing livelihood difficulties due to lack of bamboo buyers,” said an ethnic Khami woman from Thinponetan Village in Ponnagyun Township.

Locals earned about K15,000 for cutting down 100 pieces of bamboo in the past. The rate has increased by about K1,000 but locals said they are still struggling to make ends meet due to lack of regular work and commodity price hikes that are outpacing that rate increase.

“I get about one basket of rice even if I cut down 200 pieces of bamboo. I cannot cut down 200 pieces of bamboo in a day. The weather is extremely hot and some people suffer from diarrhoea,” said a bamboo cutter from Pyinnyargyi Village in Kyauktaw Township.

People who rely on forests for their livelihoods are also worried about the risk of landmines.

“We make a living by ‘farming’ in the forests. We are worried about the risks of landmines as we cut down bamboo and timber in the forests. We are concerned for our safety due to the rise in landmine blasts,” said an ethnic Mro man from Telwa Village in Kyauktaw Township.

Since renewed conflict in Arakan State began, the regime has blockaded roads and waterways and is using a “four-cuts strategy” employed by the military in decades past, causing local residents to face severe shortages of material goods, food and medicines.