Junta Plans Demolition of 60 Houses in Sittwe's Nazi Village for Police Station Security

Kyaing Hein Lin, Narinjara News, 24 October 2024

In Sittwe Town, the military junta intends to destroy some 60 homes close to the Nazi Village police station on the grounds of security.

According to a resident who asked not to be named, the junta has informed the locals that the houses next to the Nazi Village police station in Sittwe are going to be demolished and that the work must be finished by the Tazaungmone full moon day.

According to the resident, who cited the police station's on-duty officer, "the houses near the police station would be demolished before the Tazaungmone full moon day."

The demolitions are meant to improve security near the police station, the resident claimed. It is anticipated that a fence will encircle the land after the houses are removed.

“When the AA forces approach, they will not be able to see them because of the residential houses. They stated that they intend to demolish the residences for this reason,” the resident clarified. "They also mentioned that they will erect a fence around this location."

Residents of the ward are concerned because the junta has not disclosed how the impacted residents would be relocated, despite its assertions that the demolitions are being carried out for security reasons.

"The ward is currently experiencing a great deal of trouble. Making enough money for one day does not even cover one day's expenses for food.” One woman in the ward said, "I would sooner die than have my house destroyed while dealing with all of this difficulty and going without food."

Since many inhabitants had left the ward to avoid the ongoing fighting, the junta also destroyed four vacant homes before the Thadingyut full moon day, which came before the Tazaungmone demolitions.

The junta is urgently buying gravel from Sittwe to build bunkers, according to locals, in addition to these demolitions.

Some poor locals have been forced to demolish abandoned homes in an attempt to make ends meet, selling broken bricks to junta soldiers in place of gravel due to the demand for supplies.

In the meantime, the junta forces arrest people in Sittwe every day for a variety of reasons. Locals claim that some captives have been freed, but only after making extortion payments.

The townships of Ann, Maungdaw, and Gwa in Arakan State are still seeing fighting between the Arakan Army (AA) and the junta forces. According to reports, the junta is also preparing militarily, saying that the AA might invade Sittwe in the near future.