Mrauk-U residents are worried about increasing crime

December 17, 2022. (Narinjara)

As the lawlessness of the regime increases, ordinary crime has proliferated and particularly in Mrauk-U township of Rakhine state. The number of thefts, burglaries, lootings and gang robberies is increasing day by day and locals are seriously concerned.

On the night of December 14th, a group burglarized a house in Shwe Gu Taung neighborhood in Mrauk-U. Three phones and 300,000 kyats were stolen.

“A house was broken into in Shwe Gu Taung and 3 phones and 300000 kyats were stolen on the night of December 14th. The owners saw the thieves, but they didn’t dare say anything. These criminals usually form groups and intimidate people. They also bring weapons such like knives and slingshot darts, so that people do not dare to fight back against them”, a local from Mrauk-U explained.

In Mrauk-U, a curfew has been imposed and blackouts usually occurred at night. Thieves take advantage of such conditions to commit burglaries almost every day. Some daring thieves don’t care about anyone and break into houses to steal valuables and car batteries.

“Outages are common in Mrauk-U and there are frequent blackouts at night. A curfew was also issued, so no one left the houses after sunset. Criminals take advantage of this and commit thefts and burglaries in the dark. When there is electricity, people can light up their houses. But now it is totally dark at night-time, so we need to be more careful about home security”, the Mrauk-U local added.

Under the current situation, the Arakan Army (AA) has not been able to fully deploy administrative and security mechanisms in Mrauk-U yet, and the Military Council also do not provide security, so the thieves thrive.

Due to the decrease in administrative authority and the rule of law in the interim period, crises like difficulty in finding jobs, inflation and poverty are getting worse, the country becomes unstable, and criminals are taking advantage of the situation.

“Nowadays, people are protecting their homes themselves. One carelessness can lead to their homes being broken into. Therefore, it is necessary to find a way for the people of Mrauk-U to deal with these problems”, a local also commented.

In July, thefts, robberies and break-ins occurred in Mrauk-U almost every day until AA took over security, and now these crimes have started rising again.