Khatter Non : Residents of Tavoy Resettlement Site, as well as members of the camp’s neighboring villages in Tavoy District,Tenasserim Division, report that they are suffering from a rice shortage due to orders from the Burmese army that ban passengers from carrying more that one bag of rice on the Tavoy Highway.
Tavoy Resettlement Site is an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp under the administration of the Mon Relief and Development Committee (MRDC). According to the Secretary of the MRDC, Burmese Army checkpoint authorities on the Tavoy Highway have barred travelers from carrying multiple bags of rice on the road since April 2010, in an effort to block the flow of supplies to Mon splinter groups in southern Burma. Passengers and rice merchants who break the ban are subjected to a rigorous investigation.
Rice merchants have as a result decreased trade into Tavoy District, and members of the MRDC report that rice stores in and around Tavoy Camp are dwindling.
According to a MRDC coordinator at the Tavoy Resettlement Site, residents living in Tavoy District are subsisting on “rice gruel” in order to stretch existing rice stores.
He said “Sellers [of rice], vehicle drivers, and ferry boat drivers do not dare to carry rice because they ask more inquiries if they saw more than a bag. That’s why there is not enough rice for them”.
Even before rice transport was limited by the “one bag” policy, transporting rice supplies into the Tavoy Resettlement Camp area was a challenge, as the camp area is located several kilometers off of the Tavoy highway. Residents must travel to Yebu village, the nearest community located on the highway, to buy rice. Supplies have to be transported back via cart during dry seasons and by boat during rainy season.
The rice flow into Yebu village has reportedly decreased dramatically. According to a Yebu villager, “The express vehicles and four wheels vehicles have to make a recommendation letter for carrying rice if the rice bags [they are transporting] is over one bag”.
MRDC members reported that Light Infantry Battalion No. 103, based in Yebu village under the Regional Coastal Commander, frequently prevents boat owners from carrying rice further into Tavoy District.
Tavoy villages affected by the supply include villages within the MRDC’s Tavoy Resettlement Site, which are supported by the MRDC’s development project, as well as a few independent, non-supported communities.
Tavoy Resettlement Site contains five villages. Residents of the villages gain their primary incomes through highland rice cultivation, cashew nut farming, and by working as day laborers; the MRDC supplements these incomes with rice supplies.
