Food prices have skyrocketed in Tamu town, Sagaing Region, where junta troops and local resistance forces have blockaded roads for the past three months following clashes.
Fighting erupted near the village of Pann Thar some seven miles from Tamu town on June 15. Fierce clashes followed in Kempat town in Tamu District on July 23, with the regime conducting bombing raids.
Locals say that since the fighting broke out, the two sides have blockaded the Tamu-Kale road, cutting off supplies and sparking a surge in food prices.
“Previously, you could buy three eggs for 1,000 kyats. Now the price is 800 kyats per egg,” a Tamu resident told The Irrawaddy.
“The price of tomatoes has also soared to 1,500 kyats for four fruits. If things continue like this, we are going to starve to death.”
The price of a sack of rice has almost doubled from 80,000 kyats to 150,000 kyats since the blockade. Petrol prices have also increased from 2,500 kyats to 6,000 kyats per liter. And the cost of cooking oil has surged from 8,000 kyats per viss (around 1.8 liters) to 12,000 kyats.
The exchange rate is now close to 4,000 kyats per dollar.
To make matters worse, the Indian government has closed the border with Tamu following ethnic violence in Manipur between the Meitei and Kuki communities.
Another Tamu resident said: “We mainly use Indian goods here. Now, we can’t cross the border to trade, so we have no jobs. Those who can afford it, hire motorbike taxis and bring goods into Tamu.”
Motorbikes could be used to travel and buy goods at Bonekkan village, 24 miles from Tamu town, until the second week of August. Cargo trucks and passenger vehicles are not permitted on the road from Tamu to Kale.
However, fighting between junta troops and local resistance forces broke out near the village on Aug. 18, cutting the last lifeline for Tamu residents. The regime also conducted bombing raids around the village during the fighting, forcing locals from Bonekkan and surrounding villages to flee to the Indian border.
Military tensions remain high along the Tamu-Kale road and on the Kale-Gangaw road.
