Narinjara News, 18 February 2022

The ongoing political instability that arises after the military generals took power in Myanmar has madeit difficult to rebuild the refugeecamps of Rakhine State.

Most of the shelter-houses in refugee camps, which are giving shelter to over 60,000 people, have collapsed,but it becomes very difficult torepair those, said  Zaw Zaw Htun, General Secretary of the Rakhine Ethnic Congress (REC).

“The civil society groups have also found it difficult to generate funds for repairing  the refugeeshelter-houses. Moreover, the current politicalsituation has also prevented them from working freely for the refugee camps,” he added.
Zaw Zaw Htun revealed that the international NGOs are facing a lot of restrictions intheir activities across the country.

“The United Nations should come forward supporting therefugees. In addition, the Statecouncil  should approve the building permits for groups. Due to the current political instability andrestrictions, even the local NGOsare also facing troubles,” he stated.

The government and civil society groups have supported the refugees with the food and shelter arrangementsin Rakhine State. Lately the supportis vanishing  after the 1 February 2021 military coup, claimed the refugees.
U Naing Tun Win, the Wadaung refugee camp in-charge, saidthat the camps are nowbecoming  hot during the daytime and very cold at the night hours. So the children of campsin Kyauktaw township are facing variousdiseases.

 “We need urgent help from donors to run the camp smoothly,” he added.

Shwe Phaw Sein, director of Rakhine Nationalities Support Committee,informed Narinjara News that the government andcivil society groups should extendnecessary support to rebuild the shelter-houses with wood for the benefit of refugees.

“Many IDP camps were hit by heavy rains and the extremesummer weather. So the housesshould be constructed with bamboo and wood.

Otherwise, the refugees would suffer from any naturaldisasters,” he asserted.

U HlaThein, a spokesman for Rakhine State Council, was contacted by Narinjara News, but did not receive anyresponse.

In Rakhine State, between 2018 and 2020, the gunfightingbetween the Burmese army personneland Arakan Army members resulted in the displacementof over 2,00,000 people, most of whom had however returned home.

Presently, there are more than 60,000 people taking shelterin various camps. Many of them arefacing shortage of food and drinking water.They are suffering from various problems in the camps.