Maungdaw, Arakan State: Burma’s Prime Minister U Thein Sein arrived in Maungdaw Town by helicopter on June 23 to survey flood affected areas and distribute relief to flood victims in north Arakan, said a businessman.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by other ministers and army officers.
Before the PM’s arrival in Maungdaw, District officials borrowed goods from shopkeepers of Maungdaw markets such as---rice, clothes, blankets, medicines, mosquito nets and cooking pots to show case them as relief aid. Some of the goods were brought to Buthidaung Township for distribution to flood victims.
“To show the ministers that they had arranged for relief the district authorities claimed that they had collected the goods for distribution to flood victims,” said a local trader from Maungdaw town.
The district authorities returned some of the goods to the owners after the ministers’ left.
Earlier, on June 19, when the Deputy Home Affairs Minister accompanied by three other Ministers visited north Arakan, the Maungdaw District authorities borrowed rice and other goods, especially clothes from Maungdaw market to pass off the goods as relief for flood victims. They (DPDC) authorities distributed it to the flood victims in Maungdaw Town, said a local schoolteacher condition of anonymity.
This is the first time that senior level officials visited the flood affected areas in North Arakan. On June 19, the ministers of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement U Maung Maung Swe, Minister of Transportation U Thein Swe, Minister of Construction U Tin Swe and the Deputy Minister of Home Affaits U Phone Swe visited north Arakan to survey the flood situation.
A local youth said, “The four Swes among ministers visiting north Arakan is a good sign.”
In the past, such visits by high level officials to north Aakan were rare, but officials made many visits to the area recently. Local people believe that it is a good sign for the Rohingya community, said a local former village chairman.
The visiting ministers and officials had their photographs taken in front of the borrowed goods to be published in government-run newspapers and shown on television.
According to sources, the flood victims have received meagre relief, including rice, from the government.
On June 23, 65 bags (one bag= 50 kg) of rice were distributed to 93 houses in flood affected areas by WFP in the Maung Nama village tract of Maungdaw Township. Details of 10 acres of lands from each village destroyed by the recent floods were collected. Money will be provided to villagers for throwing stones and sand from the land, said a local.
The UN World Food Program (WFP) plans to distribute 1,079 tons of food to affected households, in addition to the 400 tons already distributed in Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships, the hardest-hit areas. The food sent so far is mostly rice, but beans, pulses oil and salt are also being included, according to the report of UN High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR).
Nearly 700 houses are reported to have been destroyed and more than 3,500-others partially damaged. More than 27,000 families have been affected by the floods. UNHCR is working with UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and Government health staff to deploy mobile teams to flood affected towns and villages.
The UN Development Program (UNDP) reported that it is starting income generation activities in at least 100 villages so that the residents can buy food and other essential items, such as blankets, and mosquito nets.
According to State media, 63 people died in the recent floods in northern Arakan.
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