Nippon Foundation’s 55,000 rice-bags not yet distributed as military’s prohibition continues

Narinjara News, August 1, 2022

A total of 55094 rice-bags, donated by Nippon Foundation for IDP refugees in nine townships of Rakhine State, are yet to be delivered as the ruling military council is not given permission for the same.

“We planned to donate the bags of rice to the refugees, who are not getting regular food items, in May itself.

But due to the military tensions between the army personnel and Arakan Army members, the authority has prohibited the supply,” said  U Win Aung, the coordinator of Nippon Foundation's humanitarian aid.
Mr Sasakawa, president of Nippon Foundation, donated the  rice-bags to the needy Rakhine refugees as he arrived in Myanmar during November 2021.

"The foundation decided to offer one rice-bag to each family in IDP camps. The military council agreed to distribute those in May, but it cancelled the program because clashes erupted in various parts of Rakhine State,” added the coordinator.

However, apprehensions surfaced that if the rice-bags are not used on time, the rice grains will be useless after some months.

“By now, some rice-bags start rotting. So the early distribution (and use) of rice-bags should be emphasized,” pointed out Win Aung.

He also added that military authorities should consider leaving aside the political issues. The humanitarian aid should not be prohibited, he asserted.

Nearly 60000 refugees in the townships of  Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Ponna kyunt, Kyauk Taw, Mrauk U, Minbya, Pauk Taw, Maebon and Ann will be benefited with the aid. Initially the authority agreed to the proposal, but later it turned back to the initiative.

Narinjara News tried to contact  Rakhine State council spokesman U Hla Thein through the telephone over the matter, but he did not respond.

Convincing sources claim that the military council suspects the distributed rice-bags might go to the AA members, and hence it prohibited the action.

An official from Rathedaung camp informed that the refugees are living with the financial support of Kyats 18,000 per person from the World Food Program. Currently there are more than 60,000 IDPs across Rakhine State and many  camps do not have regular food supplies that increases the difficulties.

Some refugees are now frustrated and they may go for extreme actions like suicides. A 50-year-old father of three children from Kyauk Taw refugee camp stabbed himself yesterday due to the  food crisis, however he survived.