Fighting between the Tatmadaw and the AA in Arakan State recently broke out near Yangon-Sittwe road, which decreased the number of travelers, and this makes passenger buses and venders near bus stations face troubles to run their business.

Buses running among Sittwe, Kyauktaw and Mrauk-U could not operate their business well at the moment and the sales of shops near bus stations are also sluggish, said Daw Ma Ni, a food stall owner.

“Buses could not run on days when there are few passengers so we cannot sell food when buses don’t run at all,” she said.

Moreover, landmine blasts occurred on the Yangon-Sittwe road, bus owners and passengers are worried about the risk of landmines. Currently, most people travel by waterways because they are afraid of using motorways, hence the decrease of operational buses.

“We have challenges when we travel. We put our lives on the line when clashes occur near roads. There are also surprise checkpoints on the way. So, people are afraid of travelling by bus,” said a bus line owner that runs buses between Mrauk-U and Sittwe.

In May, a bus hit land mine off Kya Inn Taung village in Myebon Township, but there was no report of casualties.