“The road (being that will connect the south and north) is passing through mountain valleys where most of the Rohingya grow their crops in the winter season.”

According to inside sources, over 5 acres of farmland have been bulldozed to make way for the new highway. Rohingya farmers in Khonza Bill and Udaung villages in the north have already had their plots destroyed by the road construction.

An Udaung farmer who spoke to Kaladanpress on condition of anonymity said his chili and potato farms have already been bulldozed. “I am not sure how to feed my family..We haven’t been able to cultivate paddy during the rainy season because of the sectarian violence between Rohingya and Rakhine last June.”

After the violence, the government has also restricted their freedom of movement preventing villagers from cultivating their paddy fields and creating widespread food shortages in the summertime. The farmer had no idea how he will survive the upcoming rainy season. Locals expect more than 30 acres of winter seasonal farmland to be destroyed by the time the road is completed.