Over 70 shops near Sittwe police station to be moved

By Khin Tharaphy Oo 05 Jun 2019

Khin Tharaphy Oo | DMG

5 June, Sittwe 

To step up security for No. (1) Sittwe Police Station, the police force notified shop owners of more than 70 shops that surround the police station from all four sides to move out by 15 June.

A fence will be built for the security of the police station and shop owners were told to move their shops elsewhere, but shop owners do not want to relocate to new locations because they do not want to face possible difficulties.

“I do not want to relocate from here. At the moment, our business is not good. We are now struggling to be able to get jobs for our workers. That’s why we do not want to move from here. We are waiting for the outcome of the situation,” said Daw Ma Nu, owner of a gold shop near the police station.

The police station is surrounded by different shops such as an electronic accessories shop, pharmacy shop, convenience store, clothing store, goldsmith shop, radio repair shop, phone repair shop, TV repair shop and plastic accessories shop.

Shop owners were told in October last year to relocate away from the police station, this is the second time they were told to move out, shop owners said.

Daw Ma Kyawt May, a clothing shop owner, said that she would face difficulties in a new location because she bought a shop that is next to the police station, she has been running her business for more than 20 years.

Arakan State government said that it will arrange a location that could facilitate over 70 shops, but shop owners were told nothing about it, so they could not move although they were given notice to move out by 15 June, shop owners said.

Daw Ma Kyawt May said that shop owners bought the shops near the police station since 1990 under the approval of the police force, and they are paying a monthly rental fee to the No. (1) Police Station for the buildings.

The DMG called police major Kyi Linn from Arakan State Police Force and police captain Aung Mya Oo, the head of No. (1) Police Station, for comment, but they could not be reached.