MYANMAR / RAKHINE

The recent resurgence in inter-communal violence in western Myanmar, forced hundreds of people to sail to safety on their fishing boats. UNHCR

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:11
• Production Date: 12 December 2012
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES - UNHCR
• Subject Topical: REFUGEES; DISPLACED PERSONS
• Geographic Subject: MYANMAR
• MAMS Id: U121212c

Description

STORY: MYANMAR / RAKHINE
TRT: 2.11
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / BURMESE / NATS

DATELINE: 21 – 26 NOVEMBER 2012, AH NAUK YWE IDP CAMP, RAKHINE STATE, WESTERN MYANMAR

Shotlist

1. Aerial shot, Rakhine Sate landscape from plane window
2. Wide shot, boats on the water
3. Wide shot, people walking towards Ah Nauk Ywe IDP camp with boats on the side
4. Wide shot, boats and people near shore
5. Wide shot, children standing on boat
6. SOUNDBITE (Burmese) Ma Khine Aye Kyi, Myanmar IDP:
“We were very afraid because our lives were under threat. We prayed to God, as I say this I feel like crying. We suffered a lot and there were many people who died. We were on the last boat and I really thought I was going to die. We found another boat though and they gave us some fuel.”
7. Pan right, drifting near shore
8. Wide shot, people carrying timber, boats on right side
9. Wide shot, man working with bamboo in front of UNICEF and UNHCR tarps
10. Close up, man cutting bamboo
11. SOUNDBITE (Burmese) Ma Khine Aye Kyi, Myanmar IDP:
“At present we are living closely with the local villagers. Because they have a good heart, we were able to stay here. Otherwise where could we stay?”
12. Med shot, food distribution
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Ma Maeve Murphy, UNHCR’s Head of Office in Sittwe:
“There are obviously major security concerns from the IDPs, who would not feel comfortable returning to locations where they had been previously attacked. So a large part of our work will be henceforth to work with the government to see what they will be putting in place to safeguard anybody who chooses to return.”
14. Various shots, UNHCR staff meeting with IDPs
15. Wide shot, man walking in water with boats in background

Storyline

Rakhine State in western Myanmar is a coastal area divided by rivers, creeks, and most recently strife.

For centuries, people have fished the ocean here peacefully, but recently that tranquillity was shattered.

In October, a wave of violence broke out in eight townships. Dozens of people were killed, and homes burnt in both Muslim and Rakhine villages.

Thousands fled in overloaded boats as their only escape route. Each boat was crammed with up to 80 people as there weren’t enough boats for everyone.

SOUNDBITE (Burmese) Ma Khine Aye Kyi, Myanmar IDP:
“We were very afraid because our lives were under threat. We prayed to God, as I say this I feel like crying. We suffered a lot and there were many people who died. We were on the last boat and I really thought I was going to die. We found another boat though and they gave us some fuel.”

When the fuel ran out, the boat sailed aimlessly for two days before hitting land here, at Sin Tet Maw.

Other boat people from Pauk Taw landed in Ah Nauk Ywe. The displaced set up makeshift shelters on paddy fields, using whatever materials they could find.

SOUNDBITE (Burmese) Ma Khine Aye Kyi, Myanmar IDP:
“At present we are living closely with the local villagers. Because they have a good heart, we were able to stay here. Otherwise where could we stay?”

The host community cannot absorb all the displaced. Some people have set up tents on the shore. Others are sleeping on boats.

UNHCR has distributed plastic sheets, blankets and other relief items. These may help the displaced in the short term, but longer-term solutions must be found.

SOUNDBITE (English) Ma Maeve Murphy, UNHCR’s Head of Office in Sittwe:
“There are obviously major security concerns from the IDPs, who would not feel comfortable returning to locations where they had been previously attacked. So a large part of our work will be henceforth to work with the government to see what they will be putting in pace to safeguard anybody who chooses to return.”

Any return will need a lot of careful planning. Many of the villages have been completely burnt down and security is still frail.

For now, transit camps offer temporary respite and safety. In the coming months, more assistance will be needed to help the inhabitants return to their traditional way of life. But mostly they will need peace.