Salaries for government staff working in Chin State’s restive Paletwa Township have doubled from December to March.

Awng Lor Har, the General Administration Development (GAD) officer for Paletwa Township, told Khonumthung News that it’s a good thing for the school teachers and health workers who have to travel to work in the remote township.

“There are many schools in Paletwa without teachers. We need to persuade more teachers to come here to work, and paying them double is a great incentive.”

Since 2015, violence between the Burma Army and Arakan Army (AA) has destabilized the region, displacing one-tenth of the 100,000 residents, the most populous township in Chin State.

For most of last year, the conflict prevented food and other essential items from reaching the town of Paletwa. Food products that are available are very expensive. For example, a bag of rice costs 60,000 kyat ($45) and a viss (3.5 pound) of chicken goes for 15,000 kyat ($13).

“They deserve to have their salaries doubled for four months because they’re working in a very difficult, remote area,” Aung Ma Phyu, who works for a womens’ organization in Paletwa, told Khonumthung News. Because food and other essential items in the township are so exorbitantly high they should be getting even more, she said.