Ramree residents remain stranded, unable to flee despite a 10 million kyat offer
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Phyo/Thant Zin (NP News) - March 4
A resident told The Statesman that anyone willing to leave Ramree, Rakhine State, could pay 10 million kyats to leave, but they were unable to leave.
The AA allowed those who wanted to leave Ramree about two years ago, but since then, no one has been allowed to leave. Those who remain are forced to serve as AA recruits if they are men, and as logistics persons if they are women.
“Every house in their area has to support. Men become members of AA. Women serve as logistic supporters, cooking and delivering rice from house to house. Some people can’t stay here and move to the central areas. Non-Rakhine people are allowed to come and go. For example, if you marry a Rakhine woman, you can come and go alone,” said a local man.
He said that currently, those who want to leave Ramree are stuck, unable to leave even if they pay 10 million kyats.
“Now, even 10 million kyats is not enough to escape and leave here. Money alone cannot solve this situation. If someone had left Ramree more than a year ago, they would have paid 4.5 million kyats. Now, when I ask about the situation, no one is willing to help people flee, even for 10 million kyats. That’s how we are living,” he said.
Previously, when people were allowed to leave, the price per person was 4.5 million kyats, and moving as a family cost hundreds of millions of kyats.
“At that time, when they allowed the departure, it cost about 4.5 million kyat per person. If you go with a family, it costs more than 10 million kyat. If someone goes to Rakhine, you go via the Pyay- Taungup road. If you leave here in the morning, you can arrive by evening. So, they come here by various routes. Even if you carry a load there, you have to pay 50,000 kyat. So, it costs very much. They choose the route and that is how people leave Rakhine. The main thing is that no matter which route they take, people’s desire is to reach Yangon,” he said. –