July 29, 2022
Some Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps in Arakan State are facing difficulties as they don’t get rice rations from the Arakan State Administration Council, according to the officials of the IDP camps.
Ko Than Cho, in-charge of No.1 IDP camp from Ann Township said: “Arakan State Disaster Management Department doesn’t provide aid to the IDPs regularly. We have to borrow money for the supply of aid as the IDPs have no jobs. The IDPs have to rely on donations. The department provided aid twice this year—one in February and one in March. Since then, we have not received any assistance yet.”
The people from the IDP camp where more than 200 people are taking shelter get monthly cash assistance of Ks-18,000 per head from the World Food Programme (WPF), the official said.
“In January and May, the military council provided food rations for Nyaungchaung IDP camp in Kyauktaw Township, where more than 3,000 people are taking shelter. The lack of regular supply of rations makes the IDPs more difficult,” said U Than Aye, in-charge of the IDP camp.
“The Disaster Management Department phoned us this month that it will provide aid within one week. They may arrive here at the end of this month. The IDPs still face difficulty even though they get aid regularly. Now they face more difficulties. They have to buy food at the nearby retail and wholesale shops on credit. There is no donation from other organizations,” U Than Aye said.
U Maung Kyar, in-charge of the Ganaryi IDP camp in Buthidaung Township said: “The IDPs have to solve their difficulties by doing their jobs as they don’t get aid regularlly from the military council. The department phoned me that it will send aid this month. But we have not received aid yet. Some IDPs have to solve their problems by picking bamboo shoots and vegetables in the forests. Some IDPs have to borrow money from others. They have to solve it if they don’t get rice rations regularly.”
The military council, which is duty-bound to safeguard the public, is responsible for the full supply of rice rations for the IDPs, said Ko Ann Thar Gyi from Thingaha Kanlet Rakhitta Organization which is helping the IDPs.
“The government (military council) provides aid in the months it wants to. But it has not provided aid for many months. The aid provided by the government does not fully reach the IDPs. I would like to call on the government to conduct a thorough field inspection to know whether the rations are enough at the IDP camps or not.”
When contacted by the Development Media Group (DMG), U Thurein Tun, Director of the Arakan State Disaster Management Department is unavailable for comment on a delay in supplying rice rations to the IDPs.
Regarding the irregular supply of rice ration, Arakan State’s Advocate-General U Hla Thein who is also the spokesperson of the Arakan State Administration Council said: “Budget spent by the Disaster Management Department is not the State’s budget. It is the Union budget. The government allots the Union budget every three months. The Disaster Management Department alone will know the detailed information about the delay in the allocation and withdrawal of budgets and the delivery of goods.”
More than 200,000 people in Arakan State were displaced by the clashes between the Arakan Army (AA) and the junta troops, which erupted at the end of December, 2018.
More than 60,000 IDPs are still unable to return to their homes. The IDPs want to go home as there is no fighting.
The IDPs are worrying about the resumption of fighting in Arakan State after a clash between the junta troops and the AA in Maungdaw Township on July 19th.
More than 1,500 locals from Yathaedaung Township fled to safer places due to the tension between the military council troops and the AA on July 18th.
Sent by Aung Htein (DMG)