| Refugees driven out of Dawpon township
May 14, 2008 (DVB)–Refugees from Cyclone Nargis who had taken shelter in Dawpon township in Rangoon division have been ordered to leave, one of those affected told DVB.
The cyclone victims were told they would be forced out if they did not leave of their own accord.
“The refugee rescue people are driving refugees out of here,” the refugee said.
“We were told to move out and that if we refused, we would be forcibly removed by the army.”
The order to expel the refugees was given by ward chairman Nay Lun Aung, the refugee said.
“Initially, there were 620 refugees in a single ward, now there are only 52 left,” he said.
“They threatened to prosecute house owners who accept refugees and they only feed us with sour boiled beans.”
The refugee accused township official of taking all the donations, and leaving the cyclone victims with only limited supplies.
“All the chairmen are grabbing all the donations,” the refugee said.
“No matter how many people you have in your family, they only give you two tins of condensed milk, rice and three potatoes,” he said.
“We get no international aid, we only hear about it. We have nowhere to stay and are living on the streets, and the children are suffering from dysentery.”
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