Thousands in Delta Told to Relocate

Thousands of villagers in the cyclone-ravaged Irrawaddy delta townships of Bogalay and Laputta are being told by local authorities to relocate to new sites, according to local residents in both regions.  

Local villagers from more than 30 villages in Bogalay Township said they had received warning letters from the Department of Forestry on June 17. The authorities said that the villagers were staying on national park land.    

A woman hangs clothes at a refugee camp in Laputta Township of the Irrawaddy delta. Survivors at Bogalay and Laputta are being told by local authorities to relocate to new sites. (Photo: AFP)

Authorities asked the villagers to move from the land as soon as possible. However, the deadline and information about the sites for relocation were not given and the villagers have not yet started to move, said a recipient of the letter on Wednesday.    

Another villager in Bogalay, Bar Ku, said, “Before, the protected area in the national park was 33,440 acres. Now the authorities have extended it to 58,447 acres. Farmers and villagers who live there are to be kicked out. 

“If the villagers are forcefully pressured to leave, they will complain to the authorities,” Bar Ku said.  

In Laputta Township, thousands of cyclone survivors who have taken temporary shelter in five refugee camps in Laputta town will be asked to relocate because local authorities are planning to start reconstruction in the town, said residents.
 
One source in Laputta, Aye Kyu, said that Laputta Township is being incorporated into new boundaries as “Laputta Province.” The province will be comprised of five townships—Pyin Sa Lu, Old Laputta town, New Laputta town, Mawlamyaing Gyun and Hainggyi Island.

An estimated 7,000 refugees who are presently sheltering in temporary camps in Laputta town will be sent to “New” Laputta town where the offices of Laputta Province will be rebuilt. New Laputta town is being located about 7 miles (11 kilometers) from what is currently Laputta town.

Aye Kyu said, “The new Laputta town is built in a large clearing, but it is a wild and uninhabited area. Nobody has lived there before. Water could be a major problem in the dry season. Villagers would have to search for water in other places.”   

Refugees in Laputta town were asked to return to their homes and villages. Those who could not, or would not, go home were to be sent to “new” Laputta town. Due to the difficulties and trauma of rebuilding their lives, most refugees in Laputta do not want to return to their devastated homes, said Aye Kyu.

About 400 cyclone survivors who were earlier forcibly sent back to their villages by local authorities have returned to Laputta town to seek shelter in local monasteries, he added.

In total, there are about 10,000 refugees currently sheltering in the five refugee camps in Laputta town.