Hpakant Runs Out Of Fuel And Rice
By Network Media Group
Friday, July 29, 2022
Hpakant Township doesn’t have fuel, rice and other staple foods after the military blocked vehicle supplies to the region since May in an attempt to starve out resistance groups in the area of Kachin State.
A volunteer from a free funeral organisation in the township told NMG that procuring fuel in the township is difficult and what’s available is expensive.
”Many shops selling petrol have closed in Hpakant since the first week of this month. Some volunteer teams have ceased operation because they cannot find petroleum.”
A shopkeeper told the NMG that since the end of June, a litre of petrol has cost $1.60 and diesel costs $2 for the same quantity. There are 18 shops registered to sell petrol in Hpakant town.
A local woman wishing to remain anonymous said that a bag of rice that used to sell for $23 now costs $30.
“They don’t allow (the trucks) to transport rice (to Hpakant). The soldiers search all vehicles at the Nan Yar checkpoint,” she said.
A male driver travelling between Myitkyina and Hpakant said that soldiers are inspecting vehicles at the Nan Yar checkpoint.
Clashes between the Kachin Independence Army and the Burma Army have been frequent since the coup nearly two years ago, which has also prompted the regime to shut down the internet in the township.
During Burma’s “Spring Revolution”, citizens protested against the regime every day.