Residents of northern Rakhine State are repeatedly facing price hikes of essential commodities, including medicine, which is pushing them towards starvation.
Since the military ousted the Aung San Suu Kyi’s government from power, the commodity prices continue to rise in addition to tensions between the rebel group Arakan Army and military council in different townships of northern Rakhine state. Civilians are being severely impacted by it.
A resident from Maungdaw said, “Before military coup, we used to buy gasoline by 1200 kyats per liter, diesel by 1400 kyats per liter, and oil used to cost 2000 kyats. But now, gasoline costs around 6000 kyats per liter, diesel costs around 6500 kyats per liter, and oil costs around 5500 kyats.” He also added that the prices of medicines have also been increased 2 to 3 times and so, drugs shortages are to be seen.
A resident of Buthidaung said, “As I am not healthy, I have to buy and take medicine. Now the medicine prices have gone up from around 400- to 1000 kyats for a Bio-Jessic card. To me it is not easy anymore to keep continue, as the prices of medicines have already been raised up more than twice.”
“A bag of rice used to cost only 20,000 kyats and now it costs around 85,000 kyats. Just one pound of onion used to cost around 1000 kyats, but now it is about 8000 kyats per pound,” another villager said from Buthidaung. And he further added that following the tensions between AA and military, free movement and earning source have been blocked. And even the military is conducting arrest drive by alleging some of the residents in northern Rakhine state have connection to Arakan Army. As a result, the residents are being pushed toward famine.
