Ponna Kyunt city market fire damages 300 shops

 Around 300 shops, including a number of rice stalls, were destroyed by the fire in Ponna Kyunt city market which was engulfed by the shelling of the Burmese navy personnel.

The common Rakhine public denounced the incident saying that the navy people intentionally did it to create food shortages in Rakhine State.

The military council has already closed all the major roads and waterways in Rakhine State and hence it becomes difficult to bring any product from Burma proper. 

"Everyone suspects that the navy personnel deliberately fired the shells. The concerned market has a big reserve of food items. Stores around the ancient port road and on east side of Aye Zaydi pagoda caught fire as a result of the shell explosion,” said a local resident.

The market also comprised shops of beauty products, consumer goods, electronic items, clothes, shoes, groceries, etc and most of the shops were burned down.

"The old market area faced more damage. However, the vegetable shops were safe," added the resident.

The total value of damages is yet to be estimated, said a ward head of Ponna Kyunt locality.

 "But some said it will be worth Kyat 1,000,000,” he added while talking to Narinjara News.

The market caught fire at around 2:30 pm on Friday as a heavy shell, fired by the navy personnel, exploded inside it.

A food stall owner in the market informed Narinjara News that he had to lose hundreds of thousands of Kyats in the fire.

"I have lost about  Kyats 10,00,000 as damages. There is nothing left for me. Everything turns into ashes,” he lamented.

Since 13 November as the gun fighting broke out in Rakhine State, most of the markets remained closed. Some were open for a few hours only, said a shop owner.

“I had two stalls of various goods. My damage will be around Kyats 2500 lakh. I do not know how I will start my business again,” he added.

Regarding the matter, the State fire department and Ponna Kyunt township fire officers were contacted, but no details were made available.

The fire was finally put out by the township fire fighters with the help from local residents. General Zaw Min Tun, head of the military council's information bureau presented a false report through the military-run television channels last night that the market fire was an accidental one.