Narinjara News (Interview), December 13, 2023

“I’dlike to live in my home village. If there was no danger and we could returnsafely, I would want to. Even if there are no houses, I would rebuild a hut andlive there. I don’t want to flee like this. I never want to flee this wayagain.” – A 20-year-old woman from Ye Yoe Pyin village, Ponnagyun Township

An interview with a20-year-old woman from Ye Yoe Pyin village in Ponnagyun Township, which wasburned down by Myanmar Army troops

On 3 December at around 2:30 pm, around 100 soldiers fromthe Myanmar Army’s Infantry Battalion 270 indiscriminately opened fire on YeYoe Pyin village in Ponnagyun Township and burned down the village’s houses.The junta soldiers’ arson destroyed about 130 houses in Ye Yoe Pyin – a villageon the other side of the Shwe Min Gan jetty in Sittwe.

In this interview with Narinjara, the 20-year-old woman whohad to flee to safety when the junta troops burned down the village recountsher experiences.

Q: When you had to fleewhen the village was burned down, what did you see and experience that day?

A: I heard that the soldiers had arrived in Min Gan beforewe fled. We were eating our meal and planned to flee afterwards. While we wereeating, we heard drones flying over the village. At that time, I had finishedmy meal, but my mother hadn’t finished yet. We were scared and hid in thehouse. They were shooting at the village from the drones. After a break in theshooting, we ran to our aunt’s house. Her house is a brick house. Two familieswere hiding in it. We knew it wasn’t safe to hide there. When some boys fled,the drones started shooting again. An uncle called and told us that the juntatroops were advancing on the village. He told us that the east side of thevillage was already on fire and that we had to flee quickly.

But we couldn’t flee yet because the drones were hoveringover us. As we tried to escape, we could already see smoke rising from theeastern part of the village. I told my aunt that we had to flee because thesoldiers had started to burn down the village. When we reached the nextvillage, our village was in flames. We fled through paddy fields and prawnfarms. Unfortunately, my aunt almost drowned in the pond. She was swimming infear. Almost all the villages nearby fled. We also fled from one village to another.

Q: What was the last image of your village when youfled?

A: The fire raged on the entire eastern side of the village.We could see that the west side was still burning. As far as I know, there areonly about 20 houses left in the village. The remaining houses are too badlydamaged to live in. We don’t dare go and check because we’re afraid.

Q: You had to run for your life. Now the village isburned down. How do you feel?

A: I am very sad that our own village was burned down. Weare also very scared. The village where we lived peacefully has now been burntdown, and that makes us very sad.

Q: Now that you have been displaced and are inhiding, what about food and shelter? Do you feel safe now?

A: Before the fire, they shelled the village with light andheavy weapons for two days. We couldn’t sleep all night. We had to hide in thebomb shelter. Now we are still on the run, so we don’t feel safe. We had toflee from drones and gunfire. We are afraid because they shoot every day. Wefeel even more insecure.

Q: What would you like to say about your own villagebeing burned down?

A: We didn’t expect this. We lived peacefully in ourvillage. We really didn’t expect our village to be burned down. We losteverything in our houses. Now we only have the clothes we were wearing and withwhich we fled. We couldn’t take anything with us. Now we have no food, no moneyand no rice. What could you have taken with you when you had to run for yourlives? I don’t know if we have to keep fleeing like this now.

Q: If you could return to your own village, wouldyou like to?

A: I would like to live in my home village. If there was nodanger and we could return safely, I would want to. Even if there are nohouses, I would rebuild a hut and live there. I don’t want to flee like this. Inever want to flee this way again. I want to live in peace in my own village.