June 10.
After the Kalay-Tedim road was closed for almost a month, there is a shortage of rice and basic food items in Tedim town, Chin State, and some local people have nothing to eat, according to Tedim town residents.
A bag of plain rice costs 150,000 kyats and is no longer available at every shop, while an egg costs 800 kyats and is not available at every shop, according to locals.
A resident of Tedim said, “Now an egg costs 800 kyats, but it is not easy to find. The lowest price for rice is around 150,000 kyats, and not every shop has it. It is very rare. Other basic food items are also in short supply. If the Tedim-Kalay road is no longer available, you can go through bypass roads. Now it is raining heavily and cars are not able to travel as before. Some of the grassroots people may not have enough to eat.”
Since May 19, when the military council troops advanced from Kalay to the Chin Mountains using the Kalay-Tedim road with hundreds of troops, the roads have been closed due to intense fighting along the Kalay-Tedim road.
“Before, if there was no road between Kalay and Tedim, you could travel via bypass roads. Now, due to heavy rain, cars and motorbikes cannot travel much. Now, even if you buy a few things, the prices are very high. It is not easy for those who have not bought and stored things, and some of them are in short supply. If you buy things in advance, it is more difficult for the lower classes who do not have money.”
The distance between Kalay and Tedim is only about 60 miles, and it takes around 3 hours by car. The residents of Tedim mainly buy basic food from Kalay in Sagaing Region.