Local sources report that military officers working with government department employees are monopolizing basic food supplies in junta-controlled Kyaukphyu Town, Arakan (Rakhine) State, and then selling the goods to residents at inflated prices.
Since late 2023, the coup regime has imposed tight restrictions on nearly all logistics routes into Kyaukphyu. As a result, essential food supplies for residents have been imported primarily from Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, by sea and on limited commercial flights.
Under the current system, three cargo vessels carrying food supplies typically arrive from Yangon each month. However, the shipments are received exclusively by businessmen with close ties to the junta and selected government employees, who then resell the goods to residents at significantly marked-up prices, locals said.
"Merchants without ties to the junta aren't allowed to order or import anything at all. We have no choice but to buy supplies from junta-connected traders at their inflated prices before we can stock our own shops," said a grocery store owner in Kyaukphyu.
Previously, local traders only needed approval from the township General Administration Department to import goods by ship and could then sell them directly.
But since late 2025, a military officer identified as Captain Aung Phyo Oo, also known as Datsi, from Light Infantry Battalion 34 (LIB 34) based in Kyaukphyu, has reportedly taken direct control of import licenses and permits, issuing them only to individuals within his circle.
"Whenever a scheduled cargo ship is delayed—even just once—for whatever reason, junta-aligned traders immediately raise prices on the goods they've stockpiled. Sometimes they already have supplies in their warehouses but deliberately refuse to sell them, waiting for prices to climb even higher. They're intentionally making ordinary people suffer," a government employee from Kyaukphyu criticized.
Residents said the junta and its accomplices have abused their authority to control the flow of food supplies, leaving the town's population—particularly low-income families—facing an increasingly severe livelihood crisis.
"Prices are soaring, and there are no jobs. People who can't afford to go hungry are surviving by asking for leftover food and turning to begging just to get by. Honestly, there are so many more beggars in Kyaukphyu now," said a woman from the town.
Runaway prices for essential commodities, including rice, cooking oil, onions, and dried chilies, have further intensified the hardship faced by the town's poorest residents. The prices of meat, fish, and vegetables have also surged. As a result, a family of four now needs to spend at least 30,000 MMK per day simply to prepare basic meals.
Fighting has continued across Kyaukphyu Township for more than a year. Throughout the conflict, both residents remaining in junta-controlled urban areas and displaced people sheltering in territories administered by the Arakan Army (AA) have endured severe livelihood hardships.
