Thinzar Nwe, Narinjara News, 10 October 2024

The previously impoverished Rakhine ethnicgroups are experiencing ever-greater challenges as a result of significantemployment shortages and uncertain revenue sources during the ongoing fightingin Arakan State.

Ponnagyun Township's displaced Mro man said, "We Mropeople have always been poorer than the Arakanese. These days, our familiescannot afford rice, not even when we perform odd jobs like harvesting bambooshoots or cutting firewood. Despite our best efforts, there is still a shortageof rice for daily consumption as more individuals escape the fighting."

He clarified that as unemployment rates rise, there is morecompetition in local marketplaces for those engaged in activities like pickingbamboo shoots and cutting firewood, which lowers prices.

"The displaced Arakanese people have taken to pickingbamboo shoots or cutting firewood since they are having trouble finding work.There are now fewer bamboo shoots to gather since so many people who have neverdone this kind of work before are giving it a try. Eating has become quitedifficult for us, and living has gotten very unpleasant.. Both men and womenare forced to take on these jobs. We have topersevere in order to live," he told Narinjara News.

The Arakanese, Mro, Chak, Khami, Kaman,Daingnet (sometimes called Thetkama), and Marmagyi are among the ethnic groupsthat make up Rakhine. The main source of income for the communities of Mro,Chak, Khami, and Daingnet is hillside farming.

It is now too risky for these communities to enter theforests and mountains where they used to labor and gather food because of theongoing fighting, which has left these places riddled with landmines and otherwar remnants.

A young Daingnet woman from Nan Kya village described howthe dearth of employment opportunities has compelled Daingnet women fromMrauk-U Township's Daingnet villages to work as tenant farmers.

“We work as tenant farmers and make roughly ten thousandkyats a day when it comes time to plant seedlings. Our daily earnings duringthe eggplant growing season in the winter are approximately five thousandkyats. We used to order garments to sell, and we also produced vegetables andsold fruits commercially after getting seeds from Yangon before the closure ofthe Yangon Road. These days, seeds are hard to come by and prohibitivelyexpensive when they are available. Commercial planting of them is no longerfeasible. Many people are limited to seasonal employment due to the scarcity ofjobs,” she remarked, "Life is a lot harder now than it used to be.”

Many residents of the townships of Ponnagyun, Mrauk-U,Pauktaw, and Minbya are unemployed in addition to having poor health and beingunable to pay for medical care.

Particularly in rural regions, skin problemsbrought on by tainted water are a problem.

A Kha Maung Tet village refugee in Mrauk-UTownship conveyed her concern at not being able to afford medical care.

"I am unable to pay for medical care, andI have never received assistance. I am struggling so much, and I am losing willto survive. My children's lives are becoming increasingly challenging,"she remarked.

The townships of Buthidaung and Maungdaw are likewisesuffering from a serious lack of jobs. In an effort to make ends meet, a largenumber of males from the Mro, Daingnet, and Chak populations have taken todriving motorbike taxis.

A Mro man  from Kaing Gyi hamlet in southern MaungdawTownship described the threats his group faces. "I am unable to go fishingor even to the mountains right now. ARSA terrorist groups are killingcivilians, and the result is suffering for all. The residents of Mro need aid.I hope wealthy people and other foreign nations will donate so that otherethnic groups can eat."

Social activists in the area claim that the Rakhine ethnicminorities in Ponnagyun Township are not only suffering from a lack of jobs butalso from the psychological toll these struggles have taken.

Townships including Buthidaung, Maungdaw,Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, and Mrauk-U are home to the majority of the ethnicminorities of Rakhine, including the Arakanese, Mro, Chak, Khami, and Daingnet.

While the precise numbers of each ethnic groupare unknown, estimates range from thousands to the hundreds of thousands forsome.

The northern Buthidaung Township, northern MaungdawTownship, Ponnagyun Township, and Kyauktaw Township are home to the Mro peoplein Arakan State.

The Chairman of the Mro Literary and CultureAssociation, U Zani Phyu, estimates that as of May 2024, there will be about40,000 members of the Mro ethnic group.

The townships of Ann, Pauktaw, Mrauk-U, Kyauktaw, Ponnagyun,and Buthidaung in Arakan State are home to the Khami people.

Speaking to Narinjara News in May 2024, a Khamileader stated that the population as a whole is over 100,000.

Based on past figures, the Daingnet (alsocalled Thetkama) people live in the townships of Mrauk-U, Minbya, Kyauktaw,Ponnagyun, Buthidaung, and Maungdaw. Their population is estimated to bebetween 30,000 and 40,000.