Facing an economic crisis and joblessness, many individuals and
families
have been leaving Arakan State in search of opportunities to survive
elsewhere. The areas worst hit by the crisis are Mraybon and Munbra
Townships, which were also hit hard by Cyclone Giri. There are concerns
that the crises may lead to the loss of Arakanese national races in the
state, as those who are leaving to work overseas in Thailand and
Malaysia have been deserting their homeland and selling off their
property.
Narinjara has interviewed U Hla Saw, general secretary of the Rakhine
Nationalities Development Party, which is the main Arakanese political
party, concerning the crises in western Burma’s Arakan State.
Q: What are the reasons behind Arakanese people leaving their homeland?
A: This is not a crisis that suddenly emerged in Arakan State, but
one that has been building from the decades-long restrictions and
monopolization of the land and water where people earn their
livelihoods. Since they have no freedom to earn their livelihood from
their surrounding lands, forest, mountains, ponds, creeks, rivers, or
the sea, and have no other
jobs, they have to leave their homeland for opportunities elsewhere just to survive.
Q: What can stop the people from leaving their homeland?
A: The people here are mostly dependent on the surrounding natural
resources and they should have rights to access these public resources
freely to sustain their daily lives in their localities. There are
systems such as leasing out the sea, river, creeks, and pods to private
businesses in our state. Those systems were unheard of even in the age
of the BSPP government, and we should try together to stop those systems
that have come to exist currently in our state. If we fail to abolish
those systems, then we will have to watch people continuing to leave our
homeland.
Q: What will happen to the future Arakanese nationalities if they keep leaving their homeland?
A: Arakanese people are now facing various challenges, such as lack
of opportunities for work, no electricity, and shortages of food and
water in their homeland. So they have been leaving Arakan State because
it is just the most neglected and least developed state in Burma.
However, their departure is also dependent on their personal choices. If
we have to look from the perspective of race or nationality, the issue
is a problem that may gradually lead to the cessation of a national
race.
Q: What should the Arakanese do to solve their problem?
A: It is not possible to stop the people who left their homeland
behind for their personal interest and survival, but we should work
together to develop our own state and to create
job opportunities
inside the state. Especially the politicians, the educated, and the
intellectuals should come together to demand the pre-requisites such as
electricity and better infrastructure for sustainable development of the
state without fear from the central government.
Q: What is the latest situation inside the state?
A: People, especially from the cyclone-affected Munbra and Mraybon
Townships are moving to Tanaig in Kachin State. The Yuzana Company is
also taking not only individuals but also families from those areas to
employ them as laborers in their projects. The company officials have
been collecting them at a Buddhist shrine public hall in Munbra Town and
have been taking them every day in crowded busses to their projects. I
heard that most of the people are worried about being trafficked by the
officials after being taken there, but they have no choice and have to
follow them to get the opportunity for a job to
earn a living.
