U San Kyaw Hla, speaker of the Arakan State Hluttaw, told the state government about internally displaced persons who are struggling to survive during a Hluttaw meeting on September 17.

“IDPs are refugees. They have had to leave their homes and cattle. Some of them also tragically lost their family members. They aren’t well, physically and mentally,” U San Kyaw Hla said.

He was speaking after the state government said that it had instructed the World Food Program (WFP) and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to stop providing the rice to IDP camps because the camps already have enough rice supplies.

“They are refugees. How can they have enough rice or cooking oil? And if they have some extra, why can’t they sell it? Have they made a contract not to sell the rice they get? If they have money, then they can buy fish or other food,” he added.

U Win Myint, Arakan State Municipal Affairs Minister, said that the reason they stopped providing rice to refugees was to give them other items such as cooking oil, salt, chili and onions because the camps already have enough rice.

Up to 65,000 people have been displaced by fighting between the Tatmadaw and Arakan Army (AA) since January and many face difficulties regarding food, clothing, shelter, education and health.

U San Kyaw Hla said that the state government has a responsibility to take care of refugees, and they [Hluttaw] have responsibility to worry about IDPs if the government didn’t do what they should do, and he added that Hluttaw has a duty to point these issues out.