Thousands of civilians who fled Rakhine’s Pauktaw town last week are facing food shortages and must be allowed to return, the Arakan National Party (ANP) and Rakhine civil society organizations (CSOs) told junta officials on Monday.
They also demanded the release of civilians being held captive by junta troops in the town, which lies on the west coast close to the state capital of Sittwe.
Pauktaw was seized by the Arakan Army (AA) for a few hours on Nov. 16. The junta deployed helicopters, naval vessels, and over 100 troops to retake the town that afternoon.
Around 19,000 of Pauktaw’s 20,000 residents fled to surrounding villages on Nov. 16, but most were unable to take any belongings or food with them, said ANP spokesperson U Khaing Pyi Soe.
“Thousands of people are stranded in the rural areas, where both they and local villagers are now running short of food,” Khaing Pyi Soe told The Irrawaddy.
He said the ANP met with junta military officials in Rakhine State on Monday and asked them to allow Pauktaw residents to return home while also setting free civilians being held captive in the town.
Rakhine ethnic CSOs reportedly made the same demands, citing the absence of fighting in the area.
“We are losing contact with the town’s remaining residents, so we don’t know what condition they are in. And, on the other hand, thousands of residents who abandoned the town are now facing hunger,” said the founder of a Rakhine-based CSO.
The military regime has offered no information on the situation in Pauktaw since it retook the town on Thursday. Thousands of residents still don’t dare to return in the absence of a guarantee they will not be killed by junta troops.
The junta has also blockaded all roads and waterways in Rakhine State since the AA launched its offensive, stranding Pauktaw residents in villages.
“If they allow us to reach out to [Pauktaw residents] who are taking refuge in villages, we could provide food and other necessities with donations from the people. But as the roads and waterways are also being blockaded, we can’t help them,” said the ANP’s Khaing Pyi Soe.
Junta troops in Pauktaw have detained over 100 residents including women to carry their equipment, cook their food and wash their clothes, according to political and civil sources in Rakhine.
The troops have shot at least 20 people in Pauktaw, killing around 10 on November 16, said local sources including rescue volunteers.
The Irrawaddy could not independently verify the reports.
About 1,000 mainly vulnerable, elderly or sick Pauktaw residents remain trapped in their houses. The junta has cut off electricity in the town.
Official junta figures show around 20,000 people live in Pauktaw.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated on Friday that 19,000 people had been displaced from the town.
