“Business owners had mangrove trees removed to build fish and prawn farms. So, we have lost our fishing spots,” said Daw Thein Win Yi, from Linpankya Village.

“I have lost everything, not even a pot was left,” said Daw Than Than, shedding tears.

“My granddaughter has not talked to anyone for nearly two months. She has barely responded when I talk to her,” said Daw Sandar, Ma Akyaw May’s grandmother.

Like Ma Honey Tun, three other women between the ages of 22 and 26 were also trafficked by brokers to Iraq, where they say they are trapped and helpless.

Daw Win Mya Yi, who is shouldering the responsibility of caring for three children, once had big hopes but now lives day-to-day.

Written By Gaung and Htet Aung

The air was filled with a pervasive smell from the hundreds of dead cattle that lay scattered across paddy fields on both sides of the road.

Ignoring the order in place, U Maung Thar Cho, 60, was dashing through fields, searching for his five cows, hoping that they were still alive after he discovered that at least three of his eight cows were killed by Cyclone Mocha, which hit Arakan State in mid-May.

“My...

“Even the Muslims told me to continue to serve in this position until my death. They say so because of my impartiality regardless of race and religion,” 

“He would not have died if the cottage hospital in our village had a doctor,” said Daw Ma Khin Thein, 55.

“I did nothing wrong, and they have done this to me. My dreams and hopes are all shattered.”

“If I go back home when stability and peace is restored in Myanmar, I don’t even know how to make a living with one eye and one leg,”

Children who have personally experienced the atrocities of war inevitably relive those traumatic experiences, and often suffer from recurring nightmares that further instill fear in them.

“In the past, we could cast nets along the Thanzit River. This river has abundant fish. We could freely fish before. But we can’t fish in certain places now because we have to make way for vessels due to the special economic zone (SEZ) project,” said fisherman Ko Maung Maung Than.

Ma Nyo Nyo Htay, who had previously been dependent on her husband’s earnings as a daily wage worker, struggles every day to make ends meet, with her infant’s needs and her own to consider.

From afar, the undiscerning eye sees a majestic mountainscape, where a deep-green forest and sprawling ridgelines covered in mist converge on a majestic peak. But a closer look reveals broken slabs of stone in shades of white, blue and yellow scattered at the foot of the mountain.

A few years ago, however, something very worrying came to light unexpectedly. Daw May Latt Kyi found out that her farmland, where she and generations of ancestors have worked, is included in the project area of the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

Despite the fact that many have ended up being arrested while attempting to illegally cross the border, desperate job seekers continue to risk their freedom by taking the same path.

Junta troops’ continued presence in villages and nearby areas, despite the ceasefire, along with the ongoing danger of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERWs) surrounding their villages are contributing to IDPs’ reluctance to return.

Small-scale fishermen are facing some of the same challenges. Due to the nature of the job, fishermen go out to sea at night and work in conjunction with the tides. But many local fishermen are now wary of going out at night, even in the aftermath of the latest ceasefire.

Daw Sandar’s eldest daughter currently attends a government technical high school in Sittwe and her younger daughter is a Grade 8 student.