The Myanmar Times visited villages in Minbya and Myebon townships in Rakhine State in December. Travel to Rakhine’s capital Sittwe from these villages requires a 65- mile trip (105 kilometres) along rivers and waterways.
The communities there are poorly educated, with little access to fresh water, and are unsure of who to blame for their situation. Many of the younger men have migrated in search of better economic opportunities. One staff member of NGO Tan Lan said across Minbya and Myebon townships some 74 percent of young men had migrated.
Ma Khin Sein lives with her three children in Te Nan Pyin village, a 2.5-hour speedboat trip from Sittwe, although few villagers can afford this type of transport. Her husband migrated to Thailand illegally, but later died. Surviving day-to-day was hard, she said.
“I have to do casual work like cutting wood, carrying rice bundles and other casual work, which raises almost K3000 a day,” she said.
Te Nan Pyin Village has around 114 households, mostly engaged in agriculture and fishing. But the village lost 30 percent of its total cultivated land during Cyclone Komen, which hit in August 2015. Rice production dropped by more than 50pc, said U Tun Tun, the village development chair of the Tat Lan program, an International Rescue Committe (IRC) led effort to rebuild livelihoods in Rakhine State. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
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