Interview
Border News Agency
Myaybon, May 18
“When the rainy season comes, they haven’t told us whether we can stay or not. We want to return home, but since we can’t, we’re just watching the situation. If we are allowed to return, we definitely will. As for food, we survive by finding whatever we can. Sometimes we sell in the market if there’s something to sell, or we work as hired labor for others to earn food. That’s how we manage to eat.
I also work as a hired laborer on fishing boats. I just arrived recently. If we don’t catch any fish, we have to return in about three or four days. If the fishing equipment breaks down, we also have to come back. Sometimes things go smoothly, sometimes they don’t. That’s how we manage to survive. When it comes to rice, if we can afford a full bag, we buy a full bag. If we can only afford a small amount, we buy just that much.
When there is no work, we borrow money from others and sell items like Thanakha and eggs. We earn around four to five thousand kyats this way. That’s how we manage to survive. In the mornings, the children want to eat snacks. We don’t yet know whether things will improve during the rainy season or not. Whether we can stay or not, I believe we will only find out when they inform us.
We haven’t even been able to think about where to give birth when the baby arrives. We don’t have money for childbirth either. Asking for help from our parents is difficult because they are struggling to make ends meet themselves. We are struggling just to find one meal a day. We already have two young children. As for the next child, we don’t know how things will turn out.
If we don’t have money, I wonder whether they’ll help or support us. That’s the kind of understanding and support we hope for. If they could just help a little, we’d be able to manage and make a living. I really want to go back home. Just the thought of being able to return makes me happy. But on the other hand, I also worry—if we go back and there’s no way to earn a living, how will we survive?
Even though I’m a refugee here, at least I have something to do to earn little. They provide some support. If we get a job, we can earn about ten or twenty thousand kyats. But if I return to my place and have no job or money, and no one calls or helps, I’ll have to live in hardship. I don’t have anything in my hands either. These are the things I worry about. I have children, so I’m constantly struggling to feed them. The kids always ask for food, and if I can’t give them any, they cry. That’s just how children are. As for adults, we can endure even if we don’t get to eat anything.
Since we have no job, we had to cook just one small cup of rice, and my husband and I went without eating or drinking. I had to sell the few belongings I brought with me. We even sold our phones just to be able to find something to eat. Once all of that was gone, we had nothing left and had to go hungry. I had to sell my gold items at very low, unfair prices. I don’t even have any family—no siblings or relatives to turn to. So who can I possibly ask for help?
Sometimes, when we have just a little bit of rice, I cook it, but since we no longer have any proper curry or ingredients, I have to cook with just some salt and vegetable leaves like roselle. We also have to borrow rice from our neighbors, and we repay them only when we get some ourselves. Borrowing is still possible, but when I have nothing left, I don’t even dare to ask others anymore. Borrowing from others is only okay if they’re kind—if not, they might speak harshly. It’s good if I can repay, but if not, it’s not like I’ve ever had anything in my life anyway.
Sometimes, I go to collect firewood. For one bundle of firewood, I earn about 5,000 kyats. With the money I get, I buy a small portion of rice and some cheap curry ingredients. I buy what I can afford like small portions of fish curry worth 500 or 1000 kyats.
When going to collect firewood, I can only go if someone accompanies me. If I have no companion, I can’t go because it’s not a place I’m familiar with, and it’s far away. I leave early in the morning and only get back around 10 or 12 noon. For one bundle of firewood, I earn 5,000 kyats. These are the kinds of hardships I have to go through.
There are times when there’s a lot of work, but only for a short time and not very often. Around here, they don’t really give much work to people from other villages. They prioritize their own villagers first. Only if you’re close or familiar with them will they invite you to work. I’ve experienced this kind of situation too.
When there’s no job or income, I worry about how we’re going to eat during the rainy season. If there’s no rice, how will we survive the whole monsoon? During the rainy season, no one really goes outside, and there’s hardly any work available. So when there’s no job, we face serious difficulties. Sometimes I find myself thinking how will we eat, how will we live once the rainy season begins? Just getting by with the little money we have, spending it bit by bit on food, it’ll be gone quickly. There’s no help coming from anywhere either. I’m really worried about how we’re going to make it through this rainy season.
With no job and no work, I’ve been constantly worrying. In the coming months, there will be high tides and flooding. We won’t even be able to go outside or see anything beyond our shelters. The rainy season is approaching, and I know we’re going to face serious difficulties just trying to eat and survive. I have nothing left to pawn or sell anymore there’s nothing at all.
If I go hungry for one day, it feels like I’ll have to live like that every day. There’s no work anymore… I’ve already sold everything – earrings, rings, and phones. I have nothing left. I had two phones, one worth five hundred thousand kyats and the other three hundred thousand, but I had to sell them for just one hundred or two hundred thousand each far below their value. I lost the items I had pawned even though I pawned them for around 190,000 kyats, I ended up losing them for just 80,000 kyats. Situations like that have happened. I originally bought those items for 200,000 to 300,000 kyats, but now I just can’t afford to get them back. Since I don’t have a job, how could I possibly get the money to redeem them? I can’t pay the interest, and I can’t pay back the original amount either because I’m unemployed. I just use whatever little money I can get. Even if it’s just 5,000 kyats, I spend it on food and daily needs. I’m especially worried about the rainy season. There’s no work. The rainy season is critical. In the summer, at least, we can find something to survive on. But during the rainy season, it’s much harder to get by. There’s no work at all. The rainy season is the most difficult. Even food aid and support are no longer coming.
