Maungdaw, 23 June 2005: "Several villagers from the government's modern villages in Northern Arakan state are now suffering from famine due the sky-rocketing prices of rice recently, said a village chairman from the region. The villages facing famine are; Aung Thapray, Thupan Naga, Rankha Zadi, Mun Khamong, Nanra Gai, Bandu la, Tight Chaung and other Mro and Dainet tribal villages. All villages are located in the northern part of Maungdaw, close to Bangladesh. The village headmen from several villages complained about the problem to local army officials from LIB 538, asking them to take emergency supplies to the famine victims immediately, he said. A battalion commander and local departmental officers visited the areas to look over the crisis in the last two days after they received information of the famine. But there has been no official action to help the famine victims..."