Buthidaung villagers evicted after 6 soldiers’ escape from camp

Narinjara News, 6 May 2023

After six soldiers fled from their camp, the junta forces virtually evicted the residents of Pha Ron Chaung Rakhine and Ngat Pyaw Chaung Rakhine villages under Buthidaung township of Rakhine State.

The villagers remain outside their places since 26 April, and they have no options other than following the military restrictions.

"We do not know about those six soldiers. It has nothing to do with our village. But the military authorities may assume that some of our villagers were involved with their escape,” said a villager.

The army officials and special forces came to the villages to find the soldiers. Scared villagers finally left for other villages.

“It has been about ten days since we left our places. We are yet to return home as we have not been allowed to go inside,” he added.

There are 20 families (with more than 80 people) residing in Pha Ron Chaung Rakhine village whereas 23 houses (100 people) live in Ngat Pyaw Chaung village at the northern areas of Buthidaung locality.

After the ceasefire between the military regime and Arakan Army (AA) was signed in November 2022, the Military Council division (22nd) army was stationed in the mountains near these villages.

Presently, the villagers are staying in their relative houses of different villages. They are now facing difficulties and prefer to return home as early as possible.

Those villagers were forced to leave their places during the gunfighting between the junta forces and AA members in the past. Later they returned home after the ceasefire agreement was signed. Now they have been prohibited by the military personnel in living in own villages.

Narinjara News contacted the security and border affairs minister colonel Kyawthura for further details, but he did not respond.

The informal ceasefire agreement was signed in last November with the humanitarian ground in Rakhine State. However, the military council soldiers continue harassing the common Rakhine people and even committing rights violations, allege local residents.