An international seminar on ‘Mawta/Mautam’ Famine was recently held at Tipa (Tuipang) in South Mizoram. It was conducted by Mawta Famine Relief Committee (MFRC), well attended by victims from across the border and sympathisers from India and abroad. The report is below:
Mawta Famine Relief Committee (MFRC)
Famine seminar in Tipa Town ; Southern Mizoram State ; India .
Date: 17th – 21st January 2009
Conclusion:
The MFRC seminar was attended by more than 1,200 villagers from 123 villages inside Chin State , North West Burma .
Of these, nine villages within Thatlang Township in southern Chin State said they were receiving aid from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The UNDP has opened bank accounts for the villages in Thatlang Township and village leaders from villages must travel to Thatlang Town to withdraw the money in order to buy food. The money is sent in local currency, that is Kyats. Many villagers complained that they then had to travel to larger towns in the area to obtain food. For many, crossing the border into India is a more viable option, however in order to purchase supplies, villagers need to convert the kyats into Indian rupees, again many complained that this was extremely difficult, if not impossible. (Note: India and Burma trade in Singapore Dollars and Euros.)
In addition, villagers fear that the money being supplied by the UNDP is limited. They do not know if it will be supplied on a regular basis.
A further nine villages in southern Chin State said they were receiving aid from the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP), via Country Agency for Rural Development (CAD).
In order to take advantage of the aid on offer, villagers must “Work for Food”. This means they must take part in road construction activities. They complained that no tools or machinery for road construction had been provided and that they are using pick axes and knives to build roads in mountainous jungle terrain. Only those villagers who take part in these activities are given food. This means a large sector of vulnerable people are being over-looked – inparticular the infirm; elderly; the very young and the disabled who cannot work.
They all argued that the food should be given without conditions of work attached, reasoning that they have been living without proper nutrition since the start of the Mawta or bamboo flowering in 2007 and are physically unable to construct roads or the like at this point in time.
However they all said road construction and accessibility was imperative in the region for their long-term survival and supported any project properly equipped.
In the short term, they requested immediate food drops from the United Nations World Food Programme without any conditions of work attached.
Current state of Mawta:
The Mawta or bamboo flowering has been documented three times in the region – the last time in the 1950s with devastating consequences. The Times of India reported that 15,000 people died as a result of famine triggered by the Mawta.
It occurs approximately every fifty years in the region when the bamboo flowers. It brings with it hundreds and thousands of rats who procreate at an alarming rate and who having eaten the bamboo fruits turn on farmers crops.
This Mawta started in 2007 and is expected to continue until 2011. It affects Mizoram State , Manipur , Bangladesh , Chittagong — all of which have been able to combat and contain the bamboo flowering this time round with aid from national and international governments.
Chin State in North West Burma is also affected but is in receipt of minimal a id relief. With villagers entirely dependent on the land, the consequences have been devastating and fears are growing that the worst is yet to come as the rats are spreading into areas where there is no bamboo or very little bamboo; such as Kapalet Township and Mindat Township in southern Chin State . This is also occurring in northern regions such as Falam Township and Tiddim Township.
Impact on Health:
Villagers have been unable to access proper nutritional food since 2007. In many cases they are entirely dependent on the jungle for food. This means digging for yam or eating leaves, jungle animals and the rats themselves.
This has impacted levels of health severely. People are dying of basic infections, triggered by food shortages.
In addition because they have lost their economic dependency on the land, they are unable to access medical treatment in the larger towns where facilities operated by the local government are available but again facilities are minimal and in many cases even if villagers had the money they are turned away by the operating authorities.
While in the region, I as Co-ordinator of MFRC and as a final year medical student opened four mobile medical units on the Indian side of the border with Burma ( Laki Village , Chapi Village and Mohro vIllage and Tipa Town ).
This project was supported by seven boxes of medicine supplied by International Health Partners (in conjunction with The Princes Trust).
I treated approximately five thousand and seven hundred people between the Summer of 2008 and January 2009. Of these, conditions which stood out in terms of repetition were Gastro-intestinal complaints; malnourishment; low immunity and panic attacks.
Many others were suffering from infections, which because they were not treated at the time have developed into more serious ailments.
Impact on Education:
Education is not free in Chin State . Without economic reliance on account of the Mawta, families in the majority of cases have taken their children out of school. Teachers have also walked out on account of there being no pay for them.
Many of these school children have since gone to the larger towns in Burma or to the border with India to seek food. Many families said they had no idea where their children were as many of them have failed to return to their homes.
Fear is a whole generation is being lost and as the younger generation leave – communities fear annihilation.
Impact on population:
In southern Chin State of the 147 villages that MFRC is working in, to date, five villages have emptied. In August of 2008 – only two had emptied. Clearly the condition is worsening.
In those villages where people still reside, the number of people per household has decreased. This is because the young and those that are physically able are leaving their villages to seek livelihoods and food elsewhere. They predominantly head to larger cities within Burma such as Rangoon or Palweta or Hakka in Chin State or they are heading to India ; Bangladesh ; Malaysia and Thailand as illegal immigrants, which in turn has a knock-on effect on social structures in these regions.
Recommendations:
It is clear that Burma ’s own government will not involve itself in the development of the region. They have not given food aid to the people and instead have pushed them into forced labour, without pay for generations.
Large swathes of land in the region have been forcibly turned over to jatropha plantations on the governments orders – creating bio-fuel for international sale. None of these monies — or monies from any other projects, such as China ; India or South Korea ’s 30-year-gas deal with Myanmar — are projected back into communities.
Therefore, we at the MFRC — a locally based organisation on the ground — suggest the following:
Mawta Famine Relief Committee (MFRC)
Famine seminar in Tipa Town ; Southern Mizoram State ; India .
Date: 17th – 21st January 2009
Conclusion:
The MFRC seminar was attended by more than 1,200 villagers from 123 villages inside Chin State , North West Burma .
Of these, nine villages within Thatlang Township in southern Chin State said they were receiving aid from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The UNDP has opened bank accounts for the villages in Thatlang Township and village leaders from villages must travel to Thatlang Town to withdraw the money in order to buy food. The money is sent in local currency, that is Kyats. Many villagers complained that they then had to travel to larger towns in the area to obtain food. For many, crossing the border into India is a more viable option, however in order to purchase supplies, villagers need to convert the kyats into Indian rupees, again many complained that this was extremely difficult, if not impossible. (Note: India and Burma trade in Singapore Dollars and Euros.)
In addition, villagers fear that the money being supplied by the UNDP is limited. They do not know if it will be supplied on a regular basis.
A further nine villages in southern Chin State said they were receiving aid from the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP), via Country Agency for Rural Development (CAD).
In order to take advantage of the aid on offer, villagers must “Work for Food”. This means they must take part in road construction activities. They complained that no tools or machinery for road construction had been provided and that they are using pick axes and knives to build roads in mountainous jungle terrain. Only those villagers who take part in these activities are given food. This means a large sector of vulnerable people are being over-looked – inparticular the infirm; elderly; the very young and the disabled who cannot work.
They all argued that the food should be given without conditions of work attached, reasoning that they have been living without proper nutrition since the start of the Mawta or bamboo flowering in 2007 and are physically unable to construct roads or the like at this point in time.
However they all said road construction and accessibility was imperative in the region for their long-term survival and supported any project properly equipped.
In the short term, they requested immediate food drops from the United Nations World Food Programme without any conditions of work attached.
Current state of Mawta:
The Mawta or bamboo flowering has been documented three times in the region – the last time in the 1950s with devastating consequences. The Times of India reported that 15,000 people died as a result of famine triggered by the Mawta.
It occurs approximately every fifty years in the region when the bamboo flowers. It brings with it hundreds and thousands of rats who procreate at an alarming rate and who having eaten the bamboo fruits turn on farmers crops.
This Mawta started in 2007 and is expected to continue until 2011. It affects Mizoram State , Manipur , Bangladesh , Chittagong — all of which have been able to combat and contain the bamboo flowering this time round with aid from national and international governments.
Chin State in North West Burma is also affected but is in receipt of minimal a id relief. With villagers entirely dependent on the land, the consequences have been devastating and fears are growing that the worst is yet to come as the rats are spreading into areas where there is no bamboo or very little bamboo; such as Kapalet Township and Mindat Township in southern Chin State . This is also occurring in northern regions such as Falam Township and Tiddim Township.
Impact on Health:
Villagers have been unable to access proper nutritional food since 2007. In many cases they are entirely dependent on the jungle for food. This means digging for yam or eating leaves, jungle animals and the rats themselves.
This has impacted levels of health severely. People are dying of basic infections, triggered by food shortages.
In addition because they have lost their economic dependency on the land, they are unable to access medical treatment in the larger towns where facilities operated by the local government are available but again facilities are minimal and in many cases even if villagers had the money they are turned away by the operating authorities.
While in the region, I as Co-ordinator of MFRC and as a final year medical student opened four mobile medical units on the Indian side of the border with Burma ( Laki Village , Chapi Village and Mohro vIllage and Tipa Town ).
This project was supported by seven boxes of medicine supplied by International Health Partners (in conjunction with The Princes Trust).
I treated approximately five thousand and seven hundred people between the Summer of 2008 and January 2009. Of these, conditions which stood out in terms of repetition were Gastro-intestinal complaints; malnourishment; low immunity and panic attacks.
Many others were suffering from infections, which because they were not treated at the time have developed into more serious ailments.
Impact on Education:
Education is not free in Chin State . Without economic reliance on account of the Mawta, families in the majority of cases have taken their children out of school. Teachers have also walked out on account of there being no pay for them.
Many of these school children have since gone to the larger towns in Burma or to the border with India to seek food. Many families said they had no idea where their children were as many of them have failed to return to their homes.
Fear is a whole generation is being lost and as the younger generation leave – communities fear annihilation.
Impact on population:
In southern Chin State of the 147 villages that MFRC is working in, to date, five villages have emptied. In August of 2008 – only two had emptied. Clearly the condition is worsening.
In those villages where people still reside, the number of people per household has decreased. This is because the young and those that are physically able are leaving their villages to seek livelihoods and food elsewhere. They predominantly head to larger cities within Burma such as Rangoon or Palweta or Hakka in Chin State or they are heading to India ; Bangladesh ; Malaysia and Thailand as illegal immigrants, which in turn has a knock-on effect on social structures in these regions.
Recommendations:
It is clear that Burma ’s own government will not involve itself in the development of the region. They have not given food aid to the people and instead have pushed them into forced labour, without pay for generations.
Large swathes of land in the region have been forcibly turned over to jatropha plantations on the governments orders – creating bio-fuel for international sale. None of these monies — or monies from any other projects, such as China ; India or South Korea ’s 30-year-gas deal with Myanmar — are projected back into communities.
Therefore, we at the MFRC — a locally based organisation on the ground — suggest the following:
- · The United Nations World Food Programme in September 2008 made a commitment to provide food for 55,000 people in the region. While recognising difficulties encountered by the UN in securing access to areas, as a first-step, MFRC recommends that the UNWFP use helicopters at its disposal within Burma to drop food aid directly into these areas, which are inaccessible by road, without conditions of work attached.
- · The United Nations Development Programme should focus its efforts on the region’s development. It should be involved in road infrastructure; health and education for long-term security.
- · The United Nations should mobilse its agricultural sector to work in the region, predominantly to educate the villagers on alternative, more viable farming practices.
- · Cross-border aid from India should be considered for those villages, which are nearer India .
- · Food supplies from the larger towns where there is surplus should be distributed to those villages within Chin State where there are food shortages rather than exported overseas.
- · The United Nations needs to make a clear long-term commitment to the region. Namely, member states (specifically those who engage in business transactions with Myanmar — such as India and China ), should lobby against regional policies, which will further impede peoples of this region.
