November 24, 2022
In Arakan State, the number of civilian deaths and injuries from artillery shelling and mine explosions is increasing with the resumption of fighting between the military council troops and the Arakan Army (AA).
According to social organizations, 70 percent of the injured have lost limbs and are disabled.
In June, a woman named Daw Aye Mya from Hnget Pyaw Chaung village in Kyauktaw Township had her left leg amputated when she stepped on a landmine while climbing a mountain in search of bamboo shoots.
“How can it be the same after this incident? I feel depressed about everything. I can’t do what I want to do and where I want to go anymore,” Daw Aye Mya said.
It’s reported that Daw Aye Mya, whose husband had already passed away, has a daughter who’s studying at the university. Daw Aye Mya said that her daughter had to go to Yangon to support her family and continue her education because she was hit by the mine and lost her limbs.
A 41-year-old man named U Ba Shwe from Kwam Ohn Chaung village had his left leg amputated when he stepped on a landmine while searching for fruits in the nearby hills, and his eyes were also damaged by the shrapnel.
U Ba Shwe says he can no longer feed his family because he’s unable to work, and his daughter, who’s in seventh grade, has also had to leave school.
“My wife has to take care of a small child, so it’s not possible for her to work. I’m also not able to work. We’re no longer able to support ourselves. We even had to take my daughter out of school because of financial difficulties,” says U Ba Shwe.
U Ba Shwe has five children and is currently displaced with his family members in Ga Nang Taung village, Ponnagyun Township. In addition, eyes hit by mine shrapnel haven’t yet healed, so he’s to see a doctor at Sittwe Hospital once a month and cannot go regularly due to financial difficulties, he said.
Social welfare groups have pointed out that the military council’s support for those who lost limbs and became disabled during the fighting is still weak.
“If the war continues, the number of people with disabilities in Arakan won’t decrease, but only increase. In this case, the government must take care of the people with disabilities. It should think about giving them jobs,” said Ma Htwe May, manager of the Shwe Min Thar Foundation in Arakan State.
According to the Development Media Group (DMG), three people were killed and 23 injured in September by gunfire and explosions from artillery shells, mines and remnants of war. In October, as many as 11 people were killed and 31 injured.
From November 10 to 16, the number of civilian casualties in Arakan State rose to 70. Among those injured by artillery, land mines and war remnants explosions are women and school-age children.
Sent by Aung Htein (DMG).