Mawlamyine, 16 August
Myanmar’s military council failed to assist Mon State in its recovery from flooding, said locals and rescue teams.
Incessant rains have triggered floods in the Mon State townships of Belin, Kyaikto and Kyaikmaraw since the beginning of August, affecting tens of thousands of residents.
Belin Township was the hardest hit by the floods, and more than 10,000 residents from over 2,000 low-lying areas were forced to move to 27 temporary relief camps.
More than 30,000 acres of farmland in Belin Township were submerged as a result of the floods, and landslides occurred in certain neighborhoods and villages, causing the destruction of roads and houses.
However, a representative of a social relief group stated that they have to handle it on their own because the military council does not provide assistance in disaster recovery efforts. He added that charitable associations have to coordinate with each other for rehabilitation tasks. And the military council received donations from businessmen and gave some rice to the flood victims.
The authorities, led by Mon State Chief Minister U Aung Kyi Thein, visited certain relief camps and distributed food for show, but did not lend a hand to the recovery effort, said flood victims.
The flood-affected people are struggling to recover from the disaster amid the increasing high prices of commodities, including basic food items, under the military regime, and are in need of humanitarian assistance.
Farmers are having trouble replanting monsoon paddy that was damaged by the flood due to the high input cost, and the military council has not yet provided seedlings.
When Cyclone Mocha hit Myanmar in May, it devastated hundreds of thousands of people in seven regions and states, including Rakhine State, but the military regime did not provide enough support for the rehabilitation effort.
Worst of all, the military council’s travel ban has made it more difficult for international and social organizations providing aid to storm-ravaged areas to carry out recovery efforts, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).
News-Than Lwin Times
Photo-Mawrawaddy
Thanlwintimes