Interview
Border News Agency
Ponnakyun, June 21
In the final phase of the Arakan war, the Arakan Army (AA) has launched offensives and taken control of most townships, including the Paletwa region.
The only remaining townships that the Arakan Army (AA) has yet to seize are Sittwe, Kyaukphru, and Man Aung. Among them, intense clashes between the two sides are currently taking place in Kyaukphru Township.
Although mine clearance operations are being carried out in areas under the control of the Arakan Army (AA), civilians continue to face the threat and danger of landmines.
However, despite the dangers of landmines and leftover unexploded ordnance, civilians are forced to search for food and sustain their livelihoods without paying much attention to these risks.
Among them, Border News Agency has interviewed a woman from Ponnagyun Township.
“I have one son, one daughter, a mother, and an elderly father. To feed them, I have to go up the mountains to gather vegetables and find food. However, those mountain areas were previously used as camps by both the Arakan Army and the Myanmar junta, so I am also afraid of the danger of landmines,” she said.
“Since we have to go up the mountain, we wake up early around 4 a.m. to start cooking our meal. We leave for the mountain after about 5 a.m. The round trip between the mountain and our home takes about three hours. When we return from the mountain, it takes about two hours to get back home,” she explained.
“The vegetables we gather from the mountain are sold around the village. Some people buy them by giving rice, while others purchase them with money. The cash amount usually reaches around 20,000 kyats or more.”
“Since the prices of goods have risen significantly, it’s hard to keep up. Even though we’re afraid, when our family’s food and living needs aren’t met, we still have to go into the forests and mountains,” she said.
“The places where I gather vegetables used to be camps for the military junta. Later, battles took place there between the junta and the Arakan Army. People say there are still unexploded landmines remaining.”
“I have to risk my life to find food due to my family’s struggle for survival, I risk my life to gather vegetables,” she said.
“In the summer season, people cut and sell firewood from those forests and mountains. One bundle of firewood sells for about three to four thousand kyats. During the rainy season, we also continue to search for food in those areas.”
“People near our village, around the fields, also face the same hardship and have to go to the mountains to gather vegetables. Some have been injured – losing fingers or toes – due to landmines, and some have even died. We live in fear of these dangers,” she said.
