| Kyonmange resident says over 30 nearby villages destroyed
May 11, 2008 (DVB)—More than 30 villages west of Labutta township, near Wakema and Kyonmange in Irrawaddy division, were reportedly destroyed by the recent cyclone, several of them completely swept away.
A resident of Kyonmange who is helping the cyclone victims taking refuge there said Thabauk village and its inhabitants had been completely wiped out.
Local authorities have not provided any help to cyclone victims in Kyonmange, and on 5 May, a deputy in charge of Wakema township administration ordered local officials in Kyonmange to remove the cyclone victims, who are facing serious problems through lack of food, clothing, and shelter.
The Kyonmange resident told DVB that the authorities had not helped clear the bodies of those who died in the cyclone.
“It is a ghastly sight as corpses can be seen everywhere - in the villages and in the creek - as we travel along the route to the more than 30 villages which were destroyed by the cyclone. Quite a number of female corpses had their ears and hands cut off. At night, it is frightening as people come in boats to the deserted villages to carry away Chinese-made hand-operated tractors and other machines. Some young women survived the cyclone but their villages are now submerged. People in boats pretending to be on a rescue mission asked these young women to go with them and once on board, the women were robbed of their possessions, raped and left behind at nearby villages. They are crooks exploiting the situation and may have been waiting for opportunities like this. There is no one to help the people out of this area which is unsafe and in trouble.”
DVB: What do you mean about finding corpses without ears and hands?
“People drowned in the cyclone and some women died wearing earrings and bracelets. Those who found the corpses probably cut off the ears and hands to take the earrings and bracelets. The hands were seen to be cut cleanly. For instance, Thabaukkyun village lost all its villagers. Friends of a woman - Ma Than Than Htay - from that village found her corpse minus the ears and hands. It looked like a knife was used to do that. We also found several corpses in the same condition when we went to the other villages. Their earrings and bracelets had probably been taken away.”
DVB: You mentioned that a village was lost; how many homes were there and what was the population?
“Altogether there were more than 30 villages here. Dr Aye Kyu, elected representative of Labutta Township, had spoken to you about the 15 villages before. Those 15 villages are located in an area east of Labutta and the 30 villages which I am referring to are located west of Labutta. Labutta and Wakema townships are adjacent to each other and the river joins at the bay. The 15 flooded villages Dr Aye Kyu was talking about are on one side while the 30 submerged villages in Wakema township at the border of Kyonmange which I am explaining about are on the other side.”
DVB: How many people do you believe died in those villages?
“Dr Aye Kyu spoke about more than 100,000 people being killed. If you take the 30 submerged villages and Wakema and Kyonmange townships into account, I would concur with him, that is, tens of thousands or a hundred thousand deaths taking place here.”
DVB: You said you have been travelling. How are the corpses and dead animals being dealt with?
“It is horrible. Human bodies and dead animals are everywhere, on land and in the water. Villages cannot be approached as the waterways are clogged with a lot of corpses and dead animals. There is no one to bury or get rid of the bodies. The water is dirty now. It has already been five days now, and bodies are floating around, so it is not a pretty sight. I am concerned about accompanying diseases. People in the area do not know what to do. After all, we are talking about hundreds of bodies floating upstream and downstream with the tide.”
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