Interview
Border News Agency
Paletwa, September 17.

In Paletwa Township, which is under the control of the Arakan Army (AA), internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been dying from seasonal flu.

In addition, they are reportedly in urgent need of food, clothing, shelter, and healthcare services.

Therefore, the Border News Agency contacted Salai Bwe Shein, an official from the Paletwa IDPs and Humanitarian Support Group, for comments.

“In emergency health situations, we only have two possible routes. One route is from our side heading towards Yangon, and the other route is towards Mizoram, which is across the border in a foreign country.”

“In places like this, only those who can afford the expenses are able to travel. Those who cannot afford it are left behind and unable to go. That’s the situation when it comes to healthcare.”

“So, when we talk about the kind of support needed from NGOs or international organizations, healthcare assistance is the most urgent. At the same time, food supplies for those fleeing the conflict, including internally displaced persons, are also critically needed.”

“As of today, we believe there are practically no organizations providing substantial assistance of this kind.”

“So, whether it’s international organizations or anyone else, at this moment, due to poor transportation and communication, as well as difficulties in connecting one town to another, the entire local population is facing many challenges.”

“As for food, we now have to rely on hillside farming. This is just small-scale hillside cultivation done for survival.”

“Some people are unable to do hillside farming at all. In such cases, they face serious challenges just to meet their basic needs for food and daily survival.”

“When it comes to healthcare, there are very few volunteer doctors and nurses available. To put it simply, we are in urgent need of healthcare workers.”

“In addition, we need organizations that can provide sufficient support in terms of medicines and medical supplies.”

“If that’s the case, what we see is the need to provide healthcare services and other public services for the people. At present, there are very few healthcare workers, and it is far from sufficient.”

“When transportation and road conditions are poor, there are many areas they simply cannot reach. Given the situation in the region, there is a strong need for more healthcare workers. During this period, there are also many people who are struggling financially and cannot afford these services.”

“And then, as I mentioned earlier, only those who can afford it are able to travel to places like Yangon or Mizoram for treatment. To speak frankly, there are people who couldn’t travel, and even those who were able to travel ended up losing their lives because they were unable to go.”

“This is truly heartbreaking. But since this is during a time of revolution, there’s really no way around it.”

“What I mean is that if there were doctors and healthcare workers available in our area, people wouldn’t need to travel far, and they could receive proper healthcare services right in their own communities.”