Beggar numbers rising in Thandwe under AA control
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Phyo/ Thuta Kyaw (NP News) - Jan 9
A person who had fled to Yangon from Thandwe, a township in the southern part of Rakhine State, which was once considered peaceful and prosperous before being taken over by the AA, told NP News that the number of war refugees relying on begging in the city has been rising.
Currently, although war refugees from Thandwe have been accommodated in monasteries and pagoda compounds, it is reported that such arrangements are no longer possible.
He said, “Even a gold tical is being sold for 1.5 million kyats, and a TV is being sold for 70,000 kyats. Money is becoming scarce. However, we continue searching for food. On the other hand, money has become very rare.”
He also stated that although there are donors, the financial support is insufficient, which has led the situation getting worse.
He said, “On the days when it seemed peaceful, both children and adults would go out and beg. I heard that people from the villages would come into town and beg at the alleys. Right now, there are still people left in the city, and so they are begging there as well. The number of beggars has increased. In the past, there were only a few, but now, in a household with eight people, children and elderly people go out and beg. It’s become common for five or six people in a family to go out and beg. Children and adults are all going out to beg, and this has become much more widespread.”
He said, “Some people may easily say that surviving is the most important thing, but they cannot truly understand the situation of those who are living in such conditions on the ground.”
He said, “One of my friends, whom I was in contact with, said that when I mentioned survival as the most important thing, he responded that what I see is completely different from his perspective. He said, 'For us, survival is important, but it’s not about just staying alive. It would be better to die now than live like this.' And he said there are so many things we don't know.”