A cargo ship full of civilians fleeing war-torn Rakhine State was finally allowed to leave a junta naval base in Ayeyarwady Region’s Ngapudaw Township on Monday after being detained there for more than a week, according to sources familiar with the situation.
The ship, the Shwe La Min 5, was on its way to Yangon when it was detained last week at the Pammawady Naval Regional Command base on Hainggyi Island, the sources said.
The vessel’s 270 passengers were mostly internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Rakhine State’s Manaung, Kyaukphyu, Taungup, and Sittwe townships, as well as military families and junta civilian personnel.
The cause of the delay was reportedly related to the number of people aboard the ship, which was three times more than it was registered to carry.
“The passengers heard that they couldn’t depart because the permission from Naypyitaw hadn’t arrived,” a. . .
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