U Tun Thar Sein, an Arakan National Party member representing Mrauk-U township, put forward the proposal on February 20 at the state parliament’s fourth regular meeting.

“Our ancient city, Mrauk-U, has a great deal of historical value as well as archaeological importance on the ground. We can take advantage of these assets. If the city had an airport, foreign tourists and wealthy domestic tourists would visit here in short order,” he said. “[This project] could help develop the country’s tourism industry, and the local people could enjoy the benefits of a service sector.”

The Mrauk-U airport started construction on the eastern side of the city along the Sittwe-Yangon highway near Nankyar village in 2015. A local construction company, Su Htoo San Company, was tasked with carrying out the project. However, a discrepancy between the amount budgeted for the project, K2 billion in 2015 and another K2 billion in 2016, and the estimated cost of completing it resulted in the project being suspended and the government deciding to divert funds elsewhere.  Earlier this month, the Rakhine State government expressed interest in having private investor sponsor the project.
“If this airport project had been carried out, Rakhine State could have enjoyed a better financial flow via the development. The project was set to be implemented by the previous government. The current government has a responsibility to carry on with the airport construction in order to support the growth of Rakhine State,” said U Hla Thein Aung, an MP representing Minbya township who seconded U Tun Thar Sein’s proposal.

Translated by Zin Linn
Edited by Laignee Barron