Interview
Border News Agency
Sittwe, October 3.

The junta forces have blockaded civilians in Sittwe, treating them as human shields, leaving ordinary people to suffer from severe hunger.

Moreover, some have died of starvation, while others, unable to bear the hardship, have taken their own lives.

A woman from Sittwe city shared these accounts with the Border News Agency.

“There are so many selfish people. And then… there are those who line up just to get one or two baskets of rice, handing out slips to receive their share.”

“If the rescue teams say they’ll provide help only at 1pm, people have to wait out in the hot sun from nine or ten o’clock onward.”

“Even though those staying at the monastery receive assistance, people living in their own homes and struggling in poverty aren’t accepted by any rescue organization.”

“Currently, the elderly, young children, those unable to access medicine, and the starving are all facing hardships in their homes.”

“When asked what I want to say about these difficulties, I just want the suffering to end as soon as possible.”

“Even if I had to assign blame, I don’t want to blame anyone.”

“Right now everyone is just enduring the situation. I only wish for the difficulties to be resolved as quickly as possible.”

“Even a poor person only has work to do if someone assigns it to them. Right now, there’s no masonry work or any kind of work at all. They have absolutely nothing to do.”

“Even firewood is expensive. Previously, one bundle of firewood cost around 1,300 kyat, and now you only get about three small sticks per bundle.”

“To buy firewood just to cook rice, you need around four to five thousand kyat.”

“The main problem is that in Nazi village, people don’t even have rice cooking pots, making it impossible to cook rice.”

“Currently, the cost of living in Sittwe is about 40–50% higher than usual. The poorest people simply cannot make ends meet.”

“On days when they should be having two meals of rice, they end up eating only one.”

“Vegetables and greens are also expensive. You can’t buy them for less than 4,000–10,000 kyat.”

“Every day, potatoes, eggplants, green chilies, lemons, and tomatoes are flown in from Yangon.”

“Prices are being unfairly raised. One lemon cost 1,000 kyat, and a bundle of chilies costs 30,000 kyat. People can’t go anywhere, and they’re surviving on just enough food to stay alive.”

“Many people are struggling to survive, barely managing to get by under these harsh conditions.”