Officials in Thandwe District of Rakhine State are not providing relief to almost 500 people who fled their homes during communal violence in late September because their homes were not torched, said Tun Wei, an official with the district’s general administration department.
They will be provided with security when they return to their homes, he added.
His comments followed a statement from a group of ethnic Rakhine activists, led by ethnic Rakhine Affairs Minister Zaw Aye Maung, that nearly 450 ethnic Rakhine people seeking refuge at monasteries were not receiving assistance from the district government.
Tun Wei said the government’s list of victims was fair and that it was a list of people made homeless. “We compiled the list of victims from both sides. These are people who lost their homes in fires,” he said. “The list has been inspected and verified by cabinet members of the Rakhine State government. Those who fled homes that were not burnt are not on our list. They will go back to their homes soon and we will provide security for them,” he continued.
There are 487 people from 112 households on the official list, most of whom are Muslim, according to a government announcement on 14 October. The 112 households were destroyed by fire, along with three religious buildings and a cooking oil warehouse, the announcement said.
Members of Rakhine social organizations, however, said a visit to the township – led by ethnic Rakhine Affairs Minister Zaw Aye Maung – found nearly 450 ethnic Rakhine people from 205 households taking refuge in six monasteries in Thahtaykyaung sub-township. The Rakhine group did not compile a list of Muslim victims of the violence, which coincided with a visit to the state by President Thein Sein.
Zaw Aye Maung’s group issued a statement identifying the number of people taking refuge at each of the six monasteries. It said 65 victims from 25 households are at Zikyun monastery, 55 victims from 30 households are at Singaungtaung monastery, 105 victims from 70 households are at Nyaungchayhtauk monastery, 127 victims from 45 households are at Ngalyintaing monastery, 50 victims from 25 households are at Inntainggyi monastery and 42 victims from 10 households are at Khamaungtone monastery.
In related news, five of the 78 people arrested in connection with the violence have been released, officials said.
More than 100,000 people are being housed in camps for internally displaced people in the state, which has seen entire villages burnt to the ground in a series of deadly communal conflicts that began in 2012. Most of the internally displaced people are Muslim.
