Civilians struggle as war rages across Rakhine State

As fighting intensifies across much of Rakhine State since the resumption of hostilities in mid-November of last year, residents say they are once again bearing the brunt of the conflict. The state is no stranger to war, but the latest outbreak has been particularly fierce, as Myanmar’s military attempts to fend off an offensive by the Arakan Army (AA) that comes amid punishing losses elsewhere in the country. While clashes have been concentrated in the north of the state, they have also extended as far south as Ramree (Yanbye) Island, the site of major Chinese investment projects. And their impact has been felt even further south, in areas better known for beach vacations than brutal warfare. As thousands flee the fighting, restrictions on the movement of people and goods—part of the regime’s infamous “four cuts” strategy—have exacerbated an already dire humanitarian crisis, say those involved in the relief effort. “Medicine is the most expensive thing to buy, if you can find it at all,” said Maung Thu (not his real name), who manages a camp for about 800 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ramree Township. In one case, he said, he managed to track down a drug needed by some of the IDPs in his camp, only to find that it was selling for 10 times the normal price. “It used to cost 80,000 kyat, but now it’s 800,000 kyat. The shopkeeper told me to not even try bargaining for a better price. She said I should just be glad she had it to sell. So I just thanked her and paid,” he said. One woman looking to buy medication for her hypertension was so shocked at the price that her blood pressure actually fell, he recounted. At some camps, there are patients with life-threatening conditions such as HIV/AIDS who are no longer able to receive treatment, while many others suffer from rashes and other health problems caused by their current situation, said Maung Thu. “I think it’s due to the lack of clean water and the unhygienic environment, including the unclean bedding they are forced to use,” he said, describing conditions inside the crowded schools and monasteries where many are now sheltering. At another camp in Ramree Township, women who are pregnant or who have gynaecological problems are especially at risk, said camp manager Tun Naing (who also did not want to be identified by his real name). He added that everything from dried chilli to gasoline—which now costs about nine times more on Ramree Island than in Yangon—has become prohibitively expensive since the start of the conflict. “But it is prescription medicine that is hardest to find, at any price,” he said. Nightmare in the north The situation farther north is even more desperate. In Minbya, Kyauktaw, Rathedaung, Mrauk-U, Buthidaung, Maungdaw, and Pauktaw township, where the AA has made major advances, the junta has severed almost all connections to the outside world, including phone and internet services. Relatives of people living in these areas say they have no way of knowing where their loved ones are or whether they are still alive. “I have no idea where my family is,” said one woman who has lost touch with her parents in Kyauktaw Township. The woman, who identified herself simply as Thida, told Myanmar Now that it has been more than a month since she last heard from any of her contacts in Kyauktaw, where six people were killed by junta airstrikes last month. Junta soldiers walk through the Mahamuni IDP camp in Kyauktaw Township after it was shelled by regime forces in May 2022 (Supplied) “I’m struggling with worry at the thought that my parents and my home may no longer be there,” said Thida, adding: “But I’m doing my best to remind myself that I am not alone in this.” Local aid workers are also at a loss as to how to deal with the current situation. The junta had already made much of northern Rakhine off-limits to relief groups after Cyclone Mocha hit Myanmar’s west coast last June, and now it has sealed it off almost entirely. Tun Hla (pseudonym), a member of a local aid group based in northern Rakhine, said that his group has been forced to suspend its operations due to the complete lack of access to affected areas. “With no mobile or internet connections, we are in total darkness about what’s going on elsewhere,” he said, adding that if roads to affected areas don’t reopen soon, local civilians could face extreme privation. “It is crucial to open roads so that food and water can be distributed to the IDPs. That is our number one concern right now,” he told Myanmar Now recently. He added that even where he is currently located, phone lines are unreliable, with only the state-owned telecoms company Mytel providing some service. “The only reason we are able to talk right now is that I got lucky today,” he said. Hardship in the south As bombs are falling all over northern Rakhine, residents of other areas are also feeling lucky to be spared the worst of what the regime is prepared to inflict on civilians in order to regain control of lost territory. But even in places as yet untouched by the war, life has gotten much harder for many. In Thandwe, a small resort town near Myanmar’s famous Ngapali Beach, restrictions on travel and fears of a widening conflict have kept many would-be visitors away. Now accessible only by air, the town and beach are now nearly deserted, according to the owner of a hotel that recently closed due to a lack of customers. “Everyone here is in the same boat. The town has become silent and a lot less lively,” he said. “There were lots of domestic visitors here this time last year, but now even the restaurants that have managed to stay open close early every night,” he added. For many in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, the southern Rakhine coast has long been a popular holiday destination. Now, however, it is a place best avoided. “Our family always went to Ngapali once or twice a year, but this year we stayed away because of the fighting,” said one regular visitor who did not want to be named. Some of those now staying in Thandwe’s hotels are not on vacation, but on the run from the troubles farther north. The town, with its airport, has become a major transit point for Rakhine residents looking to escape to Yangon or other cities where they are less at risk of becoming casualties of war. But even these visitors, together with the handful of foreign tourists still arriving in Thandwe—apparently oblivious to the fighting just a few hours’ drive away—are not enough to keep most businesses open. “The upscale places are still operating, but they’re mostly empty,” said one person working in Rakhine’s tourism sector. “Occasionally you’ll see some foreigners—mostly Russians—on the beach, but that’s about it right now.” Local people dry fish on Ngapali Beach in Rakhine State’s Thandwe Township (EPA) This has meant that many people working in the tourism industry, including both locals and workers from other parts of Myanmar, have either lost their jobs or been forced to accept lower pay as their employers try to cut their expenses. Even fishing, the other major source of income for many local people, has been hit hard by the conflict. “No one has been allowed to go out to sea since November. All fishing activities have been halted since then,” said a local merchant who sells dried fish for a living. The reason for this was evident in December, when residents of Ramree Island told Myanmar Now that junta navy vessels were firing on them from Thandwe—a reminder that even resort towns are now part of the ever-expanding war zone that Rakhine State has become in recent months.

Civilians struggle as war rages across Rakhine State

The conflict in Myanmar’s westernmost state is taking a heavy toll on people living there, both inside the battle zone and beyond

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