On January 9, family members joined together and held a prayer meeting for the more than 70 villagers who died in the collapse of Mount. Ma-Latt in Thea Phyu Gone village in Paung Township, during last year’s rainy season.
Ceremony organizer, Ko Tun Aung said the prayer meeting was to commemorate those who passed away during the incident.
“We have not received any specific support from the government so far. We have not yet seen the 500,000 Kyats [reportedly] given by the vice-president during his visit. According to the news spreading on social media right after the incident took place, the Irrawaddy Foundation donated 270 million Kyats to 27 households,” Ko Tun Aung added.
Family members of those deceased said they have not yet received any support from the government. It has been five months since the collapse of the mountain.
Daw Cho Cho Win, who survived the landslides said that she still has not received any support from the government as she does not have a separate household registration.
“I live on our betel farm with my parents in different shelters. I am in the business of selling betel nut in the market. I don’t have my place. My family lives on the farm, and their household registration is on the betel farm, but I don’t have one. I was required to have a separate household registration. However, the census is gone. They [the government] need to collect a census of the households to get it,” said Daw Cho Cho Win.
Daw Khin Mar Oo, lost her family and home due to the landslides, said she has been facing difficulties in staying at other people’s houses.
“I have been moving from one house to another as I was driven out from the houses [after a while]. I have been staying at three different houses already,” she noted.
Residents who have been displaced due to the collapse of Mt. Ma-Latt on August 9, 2019, submitted a petition to the Mon State Parliament [Hluttaw] to settle in their old places. However, due to safety reasons, the Mon State government has decided that local people will no longer be able to live in the area.
