Narinjara News, 31 March 2022

More than 1,000 refugees of Ann township in Rakhine Statehave been repatriated to their original villages on 29 March.

The IDPs had agreed to return to their native places fromthree refugee camps in Pepadon, Indoor Gymnasium and Kan Dake under the Anntownship.

The returnees include 307 households from Da Lat Chaung areain the same township.

U Than Cho, in-charge of Pepadon refugee camp, informed thatthe government had arranged cars for them. Some villagers have already arrivedand many are expected to return by Thursday.

The government also provided some amount of money and otheritems for the returning refugees, but they alleged it was not enough.

"Our houses will have to be repaired and there will bemore difficulties in resettling in villages,” said UE Set, a villager who tooreturned home.

Currently, there are only 100 refugees in Ann townshipcamps.

They are scared of returning as their villages are yet to becleared of landmines by the authorities, added U Than Cho.

Earlier around 700 IDPs of Ann township were repatriated bythe Rakhine State Council on 6 November 2021.

They were displaced because of continued incidents ofgun-fighting between the Arakan Army members and Burmese army personnel fromthe year 2019 to 2020.

According to civil society groups, there are still over60,000 refugees in Rakhine State who are yet to return to their places becauseof various reasons.