Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) reported that the Military Council has informed them of plans to repatriate over 500 IDP households in Kyauktaw Township, Rakhine State.
Around 8:00 a.m. on August 30, a group of 50 individuals, comprising township administrators, departmental staff, and Military Council soldiers, visited the Kawi Yadanar and Nay Pu Khan IDP camps in Kyauktaw Township. During this visit, they conveyed that plans were in progress for the repatriation of the IDPs.
"They did not provide a specific timeline for our return. They said they are planning to repatriate over five hundred households of internally displaced persons (IDPs). However, they didn't provide information about the number of families from each camp among those 500 households," conveyed Ma Khaing Aye Nyunt from Kawi Yadanar IDP camp in Kyauktaw Township.
The Kawi Yadanar IDP camp accommodates a total of 1,068 individuals hailing from various villages, including Tin Ma, Wet Ma Kya, Laung Shey, and Lower Mun Htaunt villages in Kyauktaw township, as well as Pwee Chaung Wa, Hna Ma Dar, Kyat Yet Kine, and Upper Mun Htaunt villages in Paletwa township.
As stated by the IDPs, they have mentioned that they will offer 100,000 kyats for travel expenses, 500,000 kyats in subsidies, and other utilities for every repatriating IDP household.
DMG reached out to Kyauktaw township administrator U Zaw Nyunt regarding this issue, but he did not respond to the phone call.
"They conveyed their efforts to facilitate the return of IDPs to their homes. They mentioned that over five hundred households are from villages located on the west bank of the Kaladan River. However, the inclusion of Tin Ma village on the east bank is not part of the current plan," explained U Maung Aye Saw, overseeing Nay Pu Khan IDP camp.
The villages that fled the conflict on the western bank of the Kaladan River include Mee Wa, Gyint Khar Sae, Laung Shey, Kun Zwe, Lower Mun Htaunt, Aung Tharyar, Than Pa Yar Htaunt, Dak Phyu. The farms and orchards of the local residents are situated on the eastern bank of the Kaladan River.
As a result, if the IDPs choose to return home, they have concerns that they might not be permitted to access the eastern bank of the Kaladan River for their sustenance and livelihood.
"Everyone wants to go back home, but worries about more fighting. They don't want to run away again. People from the west bank have farms and orchards on the east bank, so they're scared they can't go there. That's why they're thinking about returning," explained Ko Soe Win Naing, a person displaced from Mee Wa village.
The Nay Pu Khan IDP camp was established by the NLD government, providing refuge to over 2,000 individuals from over 10 villages, which include Tin Ma and Pyaing Taing in Kyauktaw Township.
As per the list from UNHCR, there are still over 58,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Rakhine and Paletwa regions who remain unable to return to their homes due to the military conflict.
The factors preventing IDPs from returning to their homes include the presence of armed forces in and around the villages, concerns about potential resumption of conflict, fear of landmines, and the absence of security assurances.
In November 2022, after the Military Council and the AA reached a humanitarian ceasefire, the Military Council repatriated some IDPs from Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Ann, and Paletwa townships without accountability. As a result, these returnees are now facing various difficulties in their livelihoods.
