NarinjaraNews, November 1, 2022

About 200 people are left homeless after the Army orderedthe demolition of 56 houses that were temporarily built and lived in by warrefugees in Buthidaung Township, Rakhine State.

The Military Council has ordered war refugees sheltering infront of the Yan Aung Myay Monastery in Buthidaung to leave by October. Theregime forces said that the land is owned by the military, and if the refugeesare not departed, they will be considered as squatters and actions will betaken. The camp manager of Yan Aung Myay refugee camp said that all the houseshad to be dismantled and removed on October 31 due to the Military Council’sthreat.

“They have beenliving in tents there for 3 years since there was no room left in themonastery. Then the Army ordered them to move from there and return home inOctober. Otherwise, they were warned that action would be taken against them assquatters, so they were scared and demolished their house”, he said.

 The MilitaryCouncil and local administrative officials summoned the refugees and warnedthem to dismantle their houses in mid-October. Refugees who have no place tolive anymore are facing difficulties while living as spongers in the Yan AungMyay camp and need help, the camp manager added.

 “At the moment,some of the refugees are staying in houses that are vacant because the peoplewho used to live there have returned to their villages. But it's notconvenient. Some have improvised and arranged small spaces in the schoolcompound”, he said.

 There were atotal of 56 houses demolished due to pressure from the Military Council, withas many as 200 residents.

The people livingin temporary huts in front of the monastery arrived in Buthidaung fleeing thewar around 2018/19. Yan Aung Myay Monastery had no more room to accommodatethem, so they built houses and lived next to the monastery since then.

 Recently, therehave been frequent battles in Buthidaung Township, and reports of artilleryshells falling into residential areas are heard almost every day. Refugeeswhine that they suffer dearly because they are forced to return home at thistime.

 “We don't dare togo back to our native villages. There are armed clashes almost every day. Andwe hear news of people dying due to the frequent artillery bombardments. Nowthat we no longer can live in Buthidaung, we don't know what to do next”, arefugee said.

Internallydisplaced people (IDPs) in Rakhine do not receive regular food aid from theregime. In addition, the Military Council has banned NGOs and INGOs that aresending humanitarian aid from visiting Rakhine.

 Social aidactivists in Rakhine have criticized the Military Council's action of forciblyrepatriating IDPs while the fighting is raging as inhumane.