That is why people of Myanmar are selling their kidneys
Last Updated on September 3, 2024 7:31 am
The country has been facing various crises since the Myanmar army took power in a coup. Almost half of Myanmar’s 54 million people now live below the poverty line. The situation has become so dire that poor people are forced to sell their organs. Poor people are selling organs especially kidneys to rich people on social media Facebook to solve the lack of money. This sensational information emerged in a year-long investigation by CNN.
In 2022, Mong Mong, a delivery van driver, was detained and tortured for weeks by the military junta. He was detained on suspicion of transporting goods for opposition forces. At that time his wife was forced to take loans to run the family.
When Mong Mong was finally released, he lost his job. After being released from prison, Mong Mong was starving for three days with his wife and children. Meanwhile, his family is drowning in debt. Desperate, Mong Mong offered to sell his kidney in a post on Facebook.
Recalling that time, Mong Mong said, ‘At that moment, I felt that life was very difficult. I have no other way to survive except to rob or kill for money. My wife had the same mindset, she didn’t want to live in this world anymore. But only for our daughter we have to live.
A few months later went to India for kidney transplant surgery in July 2023. A wealthy Chinese-Burmese businessman bought his kidney for 1 million Burmese kyats (US$3,799). Mong Mong is not the only person who has sold his kidney in the face of scarcity.
CNN found posts on at least three Burmese Facebook groups offering to sell organs and spoke to several people involved in the organ trade, including sellers, buyers and agents. Desperate, the needy people of the civil war-torn country chose this path.
Three years after Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup, nearly half of the country’s 54 million people live below the poverty line. This number has doubled compared to 2017.
Violence spread across the country as various armed groups fought against the junta’s control. Foreign investment has plummeted, unemployment has skyrocketed and prices of basic goods have risen at a rate that is beyond the reach of most people.
A 26-year-old, who did not want to be named, said selling his kidney due to scarcity, “Selling your body parts is a difficult decision for anyone. Nobody wants to do that. The only reason I’m doing this is because I have no choice.’