The SAC military council has cleared the encroached houses and shops on the railway land in front of the Myay Ni Khone highway bus yard in Mawlamyine Township, Mon State.
On the morning of June 10th, the SAC military council forcefully cleared the houses and shops that were trespassing on the land owned by the Mawlamyine Railway.
There are squatters who have been living on the Mawlamyine Railway land for over 10 years, and there are also individuals who have recently moved in to open shops. Being forcibly removed like this makes it challenging to sustain their livelihoods.
“I’ve been living here for 11 years. I’ve been living since I moved to open a shop. I feel like I’m in my own home. Now, what’s convenient for me,” said one of the individuals whose house was demolished.
According to sources close to the administration, a letter was issued in March instructing the permanent removal of encroached houses and shops in the vicinity of Mawlamyine Station by the end of May.
Since the letter was issued and the shops and homes were not removed within the specified period, they are now required to follow the prescribed procedures.
“We have sent warning letters that we have to remove the land because it is owned by the railways. We have also explained that if we do not remove it by the deadline, we will have to continue according to our duties,” said a person close to the administration.
The woman who opened a tea shop in the encroachment area said, “Should we destroy it ourselves or should they destroy it? If we destroy it ourselves, we can take back what we want. Once they destroy it, they can’t take anything.”
There are over 60 squatters’ homes and shops located within the railway-owned territory. Efforts were made during the previous tenure of the NLD government to remove them, but due to disputes, they could not be successfully cleared.
