More than 60 Internally Displaced People (IDPs) who are living on the vessels, are facing accommodation difficulties as the military council has burned and destroyed anchored civilian vessels, according to locals.
At around 8:30 am on 18 September, the military council torched more than 40 vessels which anchored near the Ayeyarwaddy River bank at No.2 Ywathit area in Shwegu. About half of those vessels are sheltered by the IDPs from Sagaing, a man from Shwegu Township said.
“The people who live on the vessels are in big trouble. They use the vessels as their houses. Their vessels are burned down. There is nothing left. They moved to this place and earned their living as their houses were burned down. Now nothing left,” a local man said.
More than 60 IDPs who live on boats are from Singu and Sintkai in Sagaing Region. Due to the burning of houses and ongoing clashes, they moved to Shwegu Township and earned their living on the vessels.
“Some of the IDPs are gold mining workers. Most of them are daily wage earners. Now they are taking shelter at No.1 and No.2 wards in Shwegu. They are not staying in the monastery as soldiers are stationed in the monastery,” a local from Shwegu continued.
Currently, the IDPs are facing accommodation difficulties, locals said.
Till the afternoon that day, the military council banned civilian access to Shwegu jetty. There were the soldiers who were hiding along the bank of the river, according to locals.
The military regularly arrests and burns civilian boats on Myalaegyun in Bhamo Township which borders Shwegu Township.
Since early September, six military ships which burned down civilian vessels and boats have sailed from Mandalay and anchored at Shwegu jetty, according to locals.
Sent by KNG.