Residents of Samee town in Chin State face food shortage due to road blockade

By DMG 04 Sep 2021

DMG Newsroom
4 September 2021, Paletwa

Residents of Samee town in Paletwa Township, Chin State, have faced food shortages as a road used to provision the town has been blocked, according to locals.

The current blockade affects the Matupi-Mindat-Pakokku road, which is mainly used to provide food for Samee. According to local sources, the military blocked off the road after a truck was set on fire between Matupi and Samee towns last month.

“When we contacted people from Pakokku, they said truck drivers were worried as a truck was set on fire between Matupi and Samee towns. Currently, locals are facing food shortages. Rice prices have also surged,” said a Samee resident who requested anonymity due to security concerns.

Samee locals at one point resorted to buying rice intended for internally displaced people (IDPs), but have since stopped.

“The rice sacks are meant for IDPs and if people buy them, IDPs will face difficulty. And, it could cause problems as organisations provided those rice sacks. So, we stopped buying,” said another Samee resident who asked not to be named.

As it has been nearly one month that Samee town has faced supply problems, if food is not provided by next week, locals are expected to face more hardships.

After discussions with responsible individuals from the township general administrator’s office, locals sought permission from the military council to carry food from Kyauktaw, Arakan State, to Samee town via Paletwa.

About 5,000 IDPs who fled from elsewhere in Paletwa Township due to fighting between the Tatmadaw and Arakan Army (AA) have taken shelter in Samee town.