Five years of misery in Rakhine State: 'This didn't have to happen'

Frontier Myanmar

In 2012, a year after Myanmar began its highly-feted transition from military rule into a fledgling democracy, Rakhine State was plunged into months of unspeakable violence. Hundreds were killed, and more than 100,000 others remain displaced and unable to return home. On the ground, the situation seems as tense, as miserable and as hopeless as at any time in the years since. "We never thought we would stay here so long. I thought the government would help bring us back to Sittwe. I hope that one day I will be able to go home." - Arfa Begum, a resident of Thet Kay Pin IDP camp This is the first episode in a four-part series examining the present situation in Rakhine, five years on from the events that set the state ablaze. This podcast was produced by Victoria Milko, with reporting by Oliver Slow and Su Myat Mon.