A Temporary Assistance Committee for Refugees Affected by War formed by Sittwe Township community based organisations delivered donations to war refugees sheltering at Sapar Seik Village in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State on 26 April.
The donations consisted of medicine, 50 packages of rice, 350kg of dry fish, pressed fish, salt and dry chili.
There are 407 refugees in Sapar Seik Village, they have come from the nearby villages of Aung Lan Chaung, Panlon, Kalar Chaung and Painne Chaung. The Burma Army sent them there for their own safety after fighting broke out on 17 April.
According to Facebook posts several villages were burnt down after fighting broke out between the Burma Army and the Arakan Army (AA) in Aung Lan Chaung Village on 17 April. The Burma Army denied those reports and told aid volunteers that only one house was destroyed when an artillery shell hit it.
The Burma Army now believe that the villages of Kalar Chaung and Panlon are safe and they will send villagers from those villages back to their homes on 28 or 29 April according to Colonel Win Thu, the Burma Army’s tactical commander who is supervising the area. But, villagers from Aung Lan Chaung and Painne Chaung villages are free to decide whether or not to return home.
Narinjara has learnt that because the situation now appears calmer some villagers from Aung Lan Chaung and Painne Chaung villages will return to their villages to assess the situation for themselves.
Though the situation in the area of Aung Lan Chaung Village, where the fighting started, has returned to normal the Burma Army are still preventing residents from going to Kyauktaw Town and to villages along the Pea Stream. As a result of this villagers from some villages are facing food shortages and a difficult situation said aid volunteers.
Narinjara has also heard that the Burma Army has been detaining youths from several villages to question them because they suspect them of being involved with the AA, which has created fear among the villagers.
Though the Burma Army barred aid donations from individual aid organisations to refugees in Sapar Seik Village they allowed a group of volunteers from Kyauktaw Township to deliver aid to the refugees on 25 April. The donation from the Sittwe group was the second donation of aid that the refugees had received.
Translated by Aung Myat Soe English version written by Mark Inkey for BNI
