8/6/2008
Sittwe: As rice and other commodities have jumped in price in Arakan recently, the number of people begging for food has also increased in Sittwe and other areas of the state.
A witness from Sittwe said, "Most beggars are old women and children, and they are roaming from one house to another to ask for leftover rice."
In Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, most ordinary people, including day laborers, have been facing hunger recently as rice prices are increasing by the day. This trouble is made worse by the fact that most day laborers are unable to find work and have no income.
"I have never seen so many beggars on the streets of Sittwe before, but now everywhere we can see the beggars with ruined plates asked for leftover food," the witness said.
A housewife from Sittwe said, "Some Muslim women near my ward are going outside their homes to look for work because they are facing hunger. Some Muslim women have asked to serve as housemaids in my home."
At the same time that food prices are increasing, the unemployment rate is increasing in Sittwe. The number of people working as rickshaw pullers to earn money has also increased in the city.
According to a local source, the number of rickshaws and other vehicles for hire in Sittwe is far greater than the number of actual travelers.
The witness said, "You can see many rickshaw pullers at the Sittwe inland water jetty when the Buthidaung-Sittwe ferry ship harbors there in the evenings. There are only around 100 passengers on the ferry, but there are over 200 rickshaw pullers looking for customers."
The competition has led to incidents of rickshaw pullers assaulting each other in their effort to win customers coming off the ferry ships harbored at the jetty.
In Sittwe, there are no factories or mills so people have few options for work other than as rickshaw pullers.
In local rice markets, the price of high standard rice has recently increased to over 30,000 kyat for a 50 kilogram sack, an amount that is equivalent to the monthly salary of a primary school teacher. The price of normal standard rice is 25,000 kyat per sack.
Source: http://www.narinjara.com/details.asp?id=1840