Seven Rakhine villages will be set up in Maungdaw Township for Rakhine people who recently fled to Bangladesh, said Tin Maung Swe, secretary of the Rakhine State government.

The local government will provide these people with land and cattle for their livelihoods, he added.

“Some Rakhine people who migrated to Bangladesh have recently come back home. We will set up new villages for them and other Rakhine people who want to return to their home from other areas,” Tin Maung Swe said during a press release of Rakhine government held on December 23.

The Rakhine government said the plan was aimed to reduce the population gap between Rakhine Buddhist people and other communities.

According to the 2014 Census, Rakhine people are living in 98 villages of Maungdaw area, accounting for only 2 percent of the total population in this area, while Muslims are living in 208 villages and people of mixed communities live in 397 villages in this area.