NarinjaraNews, February 17, 2023

U Htein Lin, the Rakhine Chief Minister of the MilitaryCouncil, who arrived in Ponnagyuntown on February 15, said that he would provide 600,000 kyat per family and 2 months of rice rations, so thatthe internally displaced persons (IDPs) could return home. But the IDPs said that he had ignored their demandfor landmine clearance around thevillages and forests where the fighting took place.

An official from the Yay Phyu Kan IDP camp in Ponnagyun townsaid, “ If we return to ourhomes, we are poor people, so we have to rely on the forest for food. Wealso have to rely on the creek. Wedare not go home because of the danger of landmines. We depend on the mountain for food. Therefore we request that thelandmines be cleared, so that wecan find food. The Chief Minister has not made any promises to clear the landmines.”

In Rakhine State, the IDPs do not dare to return to theirvillages as there are frequent  deaths and injuries due to landminesleft by the war, in the vicinity of these villages where the IDPs used to livebefore the fighting broke out.

The landmines left over from the war in Rakhine frequently explode. Ordinary civilians areinjured and killed almost everyday, but currently the Military Council is not doing anything to remove the landmines, and the residents said thatthere is no humanitarian assistance including medical expenses for the affected people.

U Thein Tun, in charge of Ganan Taung IDP camp, also saidthat, “If the Military Councilclears landmines in the villagesand forests in the battle area, IDPs wouldlike to return home.”

“ Thepeople living in our camp are from the villages of Chaung Tu, Boke Daw, Kun Ohn Su. These villages are on the roadwhere the soldiers are operating. The mountainwhere the military camp is located, is at the top of the village. As there areno people in the village so far,the IDPs are worried that the soldiers will eat the chickens and pigs in the villages, and plantlandmines in their yards,” hesaid.

During a meeting with IDPs, town elders, wardadministrators, and departmental officialsat the youth training center in Ponnagyun on February 15 at noon, the IDP camp officials submitted a request to ateam led by the Rakhine State Chief Minister of the Military Council to clear the landmines.

“ Theysaid they would provide 600,000 kyats and rice for 2 months. When we asked them to clear the landmines, they didnot say anything. If they clear the landmines, the villagers can return. If the landmines are not cleared, theywill die and no one will return,” he said.

In Rakhine State, there are frequent deaths and injuries dueto landmines left over from thewar.

On February 15, U Zaw Moe Lwin (aka) Maung Chey, a residentof Lanmadaw village, Kyauktaw township, lost one of his legswhen he stepped on a landmine while collectingfirewood in a mountain near his village and Light Infantry Battalion 374.

On February 6, Ko Oo San Kyi, 22, from Dalet Chaung (West)village, Dalet Chaung village-tract,Ann township, was seriously injured when he stepped on a landmine in the garden while going to work as a daylaborer in the orchard.