As the monsoon in Myanmar has begun, the woes of the state-sponsored violence-hit Rohingyas including the internally displaced people (IDP) have started to get worse, the local reports.
Most of the Rohingyas in Arakan state nowadays are living under genocide blockage since June 2012. Most of them are rendered jobless and do not ample amount of food to eat. They hardly have access to public healthcare facilities.
On the other hand, many of them, in IDP Camps as well as in other parts of the state, find difficult to stay in their homes. They are simply unable to thatch their homes even by means of using traditional ‘Nipa Palm’ for thatching resulting in leakage of rains from the roofs. Consequently, many children are affected by coughts, heavy cold and fever etc. These kinds of cases are rampant in Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya and Rathedaung Townships etc.
For example, many Rohingya villages in Kyauktaw Township — such as Pauktaw Palin, Haimfara or Rohingya Ywa, Apaukwa Gyi, Apaukwa Nge, Ambaari, Shwe Hlaing, Milipaung, Kaungdouk, Pisi Paikthay Ywa, Middle Yadanapun, South Radanapon, Naypukan, Pauktawli, Lasaung Kauk etc – were either partially or full burnt down by the state-sponsored extremists after June 2012. Thousands of people subsequently became internally displaced (IDP). International NGOs have provided them with make shift tents and rice.
But recently, police officers, firemen, and security forces led by the Kyauktaw Township Administrator arrived at the IDP Camps and bulldozed their camps promising that they would assist them (i.e. the IDP) Kyat 1,000,000 per family to build home. However, sadly, their hope and trust on the authorities have been shattered as the authorities have never shown a sign of fulfilling their promise. Now, they are facing a miserable situation as they have to live in their self-made fragile tents made of tarpaulin and plastics.
Similarly, Ali Akhbar, a Rohingya living in desperate condition at Zaydi Pyin village in Rathedaung, said “we have been suffering from hunger, diseases and persecution since 2012. The World knows our situation. We have no right to livelihood to earn money for our survival. I don’t know when we will be freed from this open jail called Arakan where even food is not provided. I wish it were hit by a horrible storm and destroy all. Indeed, for us, here, death might be easier than this life.”
In Sittwe (Akyab) as well, the daily survival for the Rohingyas are getting extremely difficult as the monsoon has started as well as the Holy Month, Ramadhan, has begun. The Rohingyas people locked within Aung Min Galar Quarter since June 2012 urgently need food rations and medical assistances. Likewise, the villagers and IDP in In Thandawli, Anauk Sanpya (Baaspara), Say Tha Mar, Ohndaw Gyi etc are urgently in need of food rations.
Of them, the internally displaced people (from Pauktaw Township) living unregistered at ‘Say Tha Mar’ IDP Camps in Sittwe are suffering from the worst form of food crisis. Almost all of them are facing starvation due to lack of access to livelihoods in the rainy season and aids from international aids agencies and organizations.
Approximately, 400,000 people are suffering from starvation or food crisis. Some INGOs are providing assistances to them but helping such a huge number of people is simply out of their capacity. Worse, there are still many restrictions by the authorities on Humanitarian Workers, INGOs, Reporters and Journalists.