Many tribal people in southern Chin State stare hunger in the face due to a shortage of food in the region. Again many families have been reduced to eating tubers and bulbs foraged in the wild, according to a report from the Paletwa Township authority.

The report said that people from 300 villages located along the Indo-Bangladesh borders have been facing hunger since mid-May.

According to a local report, the tribal people in the area were unable to harvest enough crops in 2007 to store for this rainy season because their paddy fields were destroyed by rats.

A local official source said there has been no relief from the government or NGOs for villagers to date. The only relief from the government has been to 25 monasteries in the region.

The relief that has been provided by the monasteries, however, has been inadequate, with just one sack of rice donated by authorities to each monastery. The donation was conducted by a department under the religious ministry.

A trader from the area said local village heads in the region had informed army authorities, who are stationed nearby, of the crisis, but they have so far received no response.

In local markets, the price of rice is 28,000 Kyats for a 50 kilogram sack, but people are unable to purchase rice in the markets because they have no income.

The region in the grip of hunger is remote and travelling to the area is difficult during monsoons as the route passes through mountains.

The majority of the people in the affected area are Chin nationals, while the rest are Mro, Kha Mi, or Rakhine.