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Military Minister of Rakhine State Imposes Extra Retractions on Every Wounded Citizen to Have Permits from Security Force and Township Administrators for Transportation

Rakhine State's security and border affair minister Colonel Min Thiek in state parliament in 2019
AN.Sittway. May 30, 2020
Very powerful minister of security and border affair of Rakhine State Colonel Min Thaik sent out instruction to every township administrator in May on imposing extra restriction of critically wounded citizens. 

The instruction stated that every wounded patient requires a permit from township administrator, village chairman, and physician for transporting patients to another township for further treatments. 

Maungdaw township’s charity organization namely Myonay Garuna Network Association (MGNA) got an instruction letter from township administrator U Ngwe Tun on May 22. The letter stated that the local charity organizations in every township are taking opportunity of health deteriorated and wounded patients for transporting to another township. However, from now on, the letter stated, every charity organization has to get proper physician refer letters, village administrator recommendations, and township administrator permits in order to cross border to another township. Only with the papers, security checkpoints will allow ambulances or cars to pass through. 

The letter stated that the border and security affair minister has instructed security forces to follow the guidelines of accident or with other reasons of wounded patients crossing the borders of township to township, and administrator shall manage all of the requirements and report back to the minister. 

“These new requirements give very hardship to critical patients wounded by landmines and gunshots,” Kaung Zan* said. 

He said some critically wounded villagers do not even have enough times to go to the local hospital because of poor transportation system. Some villages are off-road by only waterway transportations are available. Some died on the way to hospitals.

On May 13, two critically wounded villagers from Kyauk Siek died at the Sittway military checkpoint for stopping one and half hours. The patients died when the military personals were questioning the ambulance driver for hours. The local doctor in Ponnaygun gave refer letter, but the military did not accept it. 

On April 30, the military checkpoint in Kyauktaw stopped another ambulance carrying a critically wounded teenage boy shot by the military in Pikethay Yat village. He was taken back to the same hospital in Kyautaw and died at midnight. 

Some villages are located closer to neighboring township hospitals. Some hospitals do not have proper medical equipment and surgeon. 

It is impossible for critically wounded villagers by landmines, gunshots, and shell explosions, and bombs to get permit from the township administrators since they live afar in towns while the accident happening in remote villages. 

Local people reported Col. Min Theik becomes very notorious and figures every aspect of civilian wounded on military point of view and suspected the patients as members or supporters of AA.  

Most wounded villagers are women, children, and elderlies and in rural areas. These extra restrictions will definitely let more people dying. 

*Original name is changed for personal security reason.

Instruction letter to Maungdaw's charity organizatio-Twinship Garuna Network Association sign by Ngwe Tun of township administrator on May 22, 2020

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