Military battalion orders Sittwe residents to partially demolish their homes

By DMG 28 Sep 2022

DMG Newsroom
28 September 2022, Sittwe

Six houses in Mingan Ward of the Arakan State capital Sittwe were forced to be set 10 feet back by the Myanmar military’s Light Infantry Battalion No. 354, which claimed that the houses were encroaching into the battalion’s territory, according to house owners.

Majors and police accompanied by junta-appointed ward administrators arrived on September 15, and told the affected house owners to remove parts of their homes that they said were encroaching on the premises of the battalion. They came again on September 25, and told house owners to remove the relevant sections of their homes immediately, said a house owner who wished to remain anonymous.

“They came around 8 a.m. on Sunday and told us to demolish our house immediately. We couldn’t even cook our lunch. We packed things and had our house demolished. They didn’t listen to our request to wait for a few days. We dare not complain as they have guns,” said the house owner.

Another house owner said she has been forced to rent a house as much of her house needed to be demolished under the orders issued this month.

“I have children to take care of. I bought this house for more than 4 million kyats, and we have had to rent a house for a monthly rent of 50,000 kyats,” she said.

Affected house owners said they had bought land plots through ward administrators some 10 years ago.

Though house owners were only told to set the structures back by 10 feet, most had to demolish large parts of their houses, said one homeowner.

“We are building a new house out of the existing, partially demolished house,” he added. “It has so far cost me 2 million kyats, and I can’t afford any more. When they came, I asked them to wait until the second week of next month. But they insisted that my house must be [partially] demolished immediately or they would demolish the entire house.”

In March, dozens of junta soldiers, police and departmental personnel forcibly removed some 70 squats between Sittwe Railway Station and Sittwe University.