The army imposed martial law and banned the sale of rice in Mindat town in a desperate attempt to starve out the Chinland Defence Force (CDF) based in the township of the same name after suffering heavy casualties in ambushes by the Chin fighters.

Those who want to take rice must get permission from the Burma Army (BA) Infantry Battalion IB-274 by submitting an application to a General Development Administration officer in the hill town in southern Chin State.

A senior citizen said they have to travel to Yaw in Magwe Region to get the rice and carry as much as possible back to Mindat.

Others are travelling to Pakkoku and Pouk, also in Magwe.

At the same time, no one is allowed to buy fuel for the journey and soldiers at checkpoints along the way sometimes confiscate the rice.

Of Mindat's population of around 46,000, only about 8,000 still live in the town. Most fled the fierce fighting between BA and CDF in the spring.