Thinzar Nwe, Narinjara News, 1 September 2024

Nippon Foundation is planning to provide food aid to the internally displacedpersons (IDPs) from Arakan State who are taking shelter in the Yangon regiondue to the fighting in their places. Arakan National Network (ANN) is currentlycompiling a list of those individuals from six townships.

ANN chairman Ko Tin Htoo Aung informed  Narinjara News that they areworking with the Nippon Foundation in Yangon to provide rice and edible oilitems to Arakanese IDPs who are facing difficulties to survive in the formercapital of Myanmar.

“Those who have fled the conflict in rural areas andnow facing a livelihood crisis will be given a priority. We will focus onpeople in the outskirts of Yangon, rather than those in the downtown area,”added the chairman.

Now the ANN is compiling a list of poor and unemployedArakanese IDPs who came to Yangon since the third week of August this year.

They are now starting to gather the names of beneficiaries from Hmawbi, ShwePyi Thar, East Dagon, South Dagon, North Dagon and North Okkalapa townships.

Ko Tin Htoo Aung revealed that  nearly 1,500 impoverished IDPs from theArakan region are being counted.

“More IDPs are arriving from Arakan now. Initially, they came from northernArakan, but in the last few weeks many from southern Arakanese townships likeTaungup, Thandwe, Ngapali and Gwa have also arrived in Yangon. In addition tothe Nippon Foundation, we are also working with other groups to support theneedy Arakanese nationals,” he added.

In the first batch, they will support around 1,500 IDPs from six Arakanesetownships. The timing of donations will depend on the  donor organization.

Nippon Foundation, based in Japan, donated a largevolume of rice bags to IDPs in Arakan State in 2023.

Its chairman Mr Sasakawa played a key role in mediating between the Arakan Army(AA) and the junta forces to halt the fighting in Arakan between 2018 and 2022.

An displaced Arakanese woman from Shwe Pyi Thar told Narinjara News that shewould be  grateful to Nippon Foundation for the support as they are facinga severe livelihood crisis.

“Due to the fighting, we  had to leave our placesurgently and thus we lost all our belongings. We are  now living in rentedhouses or staying with their relatives. We have no job and the prices ofessential commodities are going up every day,” added the lady.

Since the gun fighting resumed in Arakan State inNovember 2023, local residents started fleeing  to safer townships.

As the  fighting approached  Thandwe and Gwatownships, many residents fled to Yangon and Ayeyarwady localities.

The Arakanese IDPs in Yangon are struggling to survivedue to high rents, rising food costs, poor living conditions and lack ofemployment opportunities.

Photograph: Displaced people affected by the fighting between Myanmar militaryand Arakan Army  in Pauktaw township of  Arakan State. (Photo by VOA,November 19, 2023)