Narinjara, January 6, 2022

Rakhine state recorded the highest number of peoplefrom Myanmar going abroad in 2022 due to instability, war and scarcity of jobs, accordingto U Tin Htoo Aung, Chairman of the Arakan National Network.

U Tin Htoo Aung, Chairman of the Arakan NationalNetwork told Narinjara “The military coup triggered hyperinflation, instability and worsened the scarcity of jobs in the region,hence the number of people venturing abroad is increasing. In Rakhinestate the situation is made worse because we lack the infrastructure offactories and workshops. The most important thing we need is politicalstability. If politics is stable, the economy will be stable. Publiclife will develop only when the economy is stable.”

He continued, “In 2022, the number of people whowent abroad as migrant workers greatly increased compared to previous years. It iseasy to see that 2022 was the year with the highest number of people leaving forabroad. However it is not easy to accurately collect the figures because we were not able to accurately countthe number of people who left the country.”

While the Chairman of the ANN told Narinjara thatthe outflow of people from Rakhine was the biggest in Myanmar, he admits that there are noaccurate statistics of the outflow abroad either from Rakhine, nor from any otherregion to verify this claim.

A young man from Pauktaw township in Rakhine state,who is going to work in Malaysia Explained “Since there is ashortage of jobs in Rakhine, many people go abroad.In Rakhine even if you get a job, the salary is prettylow. And prices have gone up a lot. So many Rakhine people have to go abroad to work. Theaverage salary in Rakhine is around 200,000-300,000 (Myanmar Kyats), and due to the current price of goods, itis no longer enough to support the family. That’s why Iwent abroad.”

Most of those who left Rakhine state to work abroadwent to countries like Thailand, Malaysia, China and Brunei. Whenthey go abroad like this, they often use illegal routes rather than legal ones, so they are facing arrestsevery day.

Since July 2022, when fighting with the Arakan Army(AA) was renewed, the Military Council has been arresting locals in Rakhine state andblocking roads and waterways, that are mainly used by the public, causing instabilityin the region. 

Among those who leave Rakhine state to work abroadare notonly men, but also many women.