21 May 2019
A refugee camp for villagers displaced by the recent fighting in Buthidaung township. Nyan Lynn Aung/The Myanmar Times
Thousands of refugees in Rakhine State are worried that their temporary shelters in temporary camps are not strong enough to withstand the onset of the monsoon season.
Some shelters in refugee camps in Kyauktaw and Ponnagyun townships were damaged by the heavy rain and strong wind that pummelled the area for two hours on Saturday.
Ma Oo Khin Thein, a refugee at War Taung camp in Kyauktaw, said the refugees want stronger shelters that can protect them when the monsoon arrives.
“We were exposed to the rain on Saturday after the roof of our shelter was blown away by strong winds. We need strong buildings, as we could not return to our villages,” she said.
According to camp committee members, all the tents of the refugees were damaged by the strong winds and rain.
U Maung Hla Phyu, a committee member at Athet Myat Hel refugee camp in Ponnagyun, said the refugees will have serious problems when the monsoon arrives because most of the shelters are leaking.
“If well-built shelters are not provided before the monsoon, there will be big problems for the refugees even if we repair their broken tents,” he said.
On May 12, the state assembly confirmed a legislator’s proposal that urged the government to construct tougher shelters and speed up the refugees’ return to their villages.
U Maung Hla Kyaw, regional legislator for Kyauktaw, said the government should provide shelters for the refugees.
According to local non-governmental organisations providing assistance to refugee camps, over 30,000 villagers are living in camps across the state since fighting started between the Tatmadaw (military) and Arakan Army in Rakhine last November.
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