GENOCIDE IN MYANMAR

COUNTDOWN TO ANNIHILATION: GENOCIDE IN MYANMAR
Sat Yoe Kya Rakhine IDP camp
It is worth noting that the conditions for Rakhine IDPs in Set Yone Su 2 are not as comfortable.
Awaiting new houses, promised them by the government, a group ISCI spoke with complained that their IDP
Rakhine neighbours had:
better single houses with gardens [at Sat Yoe Kyaw] and we live in shelters. They have their
own toilets. Here, there is one toilet between two households. In one household, there are sometimes
6-10 people…Its difficult living in this camp. We need more assistance, more food and more
rations. Living here is difficult, especially transportation to Sittwe. Most jobs are in Sittwe and
it takes one hour to get to Sittwe market and costs 500 kyat. 264
The shelters in the Rohingya camps are, however, of a different order and house up to four families. Those
interviewed complained about the stifling heat and a complete lack of privacy – each family’s section
consists of up to two rooms and house up to eight people. The shelters were built as a temporary solution
three years ago and it is unclear how long they will last. On the longevity of the shelters, a senior INGO
respondent reported that it is, “Anybody’s guess. As long as they stand … [and] if any tropical storm comes,
they’re wiped out. And, even in the rainy season, they’re in low-lying areas, and they become flooded.” 265
On the outskirts of the official IDP camps there are small squalid shelters made out of tarpaulin and
plastic sheets. These are home to the unregistered IDPs, who live in deplorable conditions without the
assistance of INGOs and who eke out a living by begging from IDPs who do receive rations.
264 Interview with Rakhine IDPs, Sittwe, 23 January 2015.
265 Interviewed on 23 February 2015, Yangon.
92