Junta authorities demolish 7 houses in Taungup town

The junta authorities have demolished seven houses in Taungup, a district town of southern Rakhine State on Sunday morning, using heavy machinery. The junta officials claim that the residents were occupying the government lands.

The houses, which were demolished with the order of the municipal authority, are located at Tawartingthar road in Kaing Chay ward.

The demolition process was led by the municipal chief U Maung Sein and materialised by municipal workers.

"They came in the morning to demolish the houses with backhoes loaders. We could not oppose them. They destroyed all brisk walls with a hammer," said a local resident.

Fire brigade vehicles with police vans were also brought to the site.

 “As they demolished everything, we were not allowed to take photographs. Even the cellphones of house owners were also confiscated," he added.

The victim families informed Narinjara News that the value of their demolished properties will be around Kyats 1,00 million per house.

They also asserted that the lands were bought from former landowners ten years back.

An owner stated that the municipal authority regularly collected house taxes from them. He termed the action arbitrary and forceful.

A social activist commented after visiting the site that it was the military council's tyrannical action.

"It was a dictatorial act by the military council. They have no sympathy for the common people, he added.

Regarding the action, Narinjara News tried to contact the municipal chief Maung Sein, but he did pick up the phone.

The military junta have recently issued an order to remove thousands of houses in Taungup, Sittwe, Ann, Thandwe and Gwa localities from a distance of 150 feet away from main roads.

Many restaurants and houses in Sittwe were forcibly removed by the junta official using heavy machineries.