After the forced relocation of informal settlers in Hlaing Ward (also known as Okpho Ward) in Mawlamyine, Mon State, the area will be allocated to accommodate injured military personnel, according to a local source.
Residents who had built homes without permission in Hlaing Ward were ordered to vacate the area before April 10, based on a directive issued by the junta’s municipal and administrative authorities. A local source said that almost all of the residents have now relocated.
Although there has been no official announcement specifying the exact purpose of the land, preparations such as road construction and land clearing are underway to make space for injured soldiers returning from the battlefield.
“A new layout is being drawn up for the injured soldiers. Even though there’s no formal order yet, that’s the plan. The plots have already been named, and those who receive them are allowed to resell them,” said a resident of Mawlamyine.
However, since the land clearing and road construction are being carried out in cooperation with local businesspeople, real estate brokers say the area might be resold to civilians instead of being used solely for military housing.
“Under the pretext of providing land for soldiers, the owner of Ngwe Moe Hotel is now working on land development and road construction near Thaya Aye Strand Road. They’re preparing to sell plots at prices ranging from 1200 to 1400 lakh kyats for a 40×60 plot,” one source said.
The first relocation order was issued back in January, but many residents were unable to move. As a result, on March 26, military, municipal, and administrative teams directly handed out eviction notices to the residents.
A local man explained that the area in question is government-owned land, previously designated for staff housing. However, due to various reasons, the project never materialized, and local officials and landowners divided and sold the land themselves.
Hlaing Ward consists of more than 200 houses, with most of the families being low-income earners working in industrial zones and construction. Residents say the sudden displacement during a time of political and economic hardship has made life extremely difficult.
On January 26, the military junta also demolished informal houses and monasteries in Thaya Aye Ward, Mawlamyine, claiming they had been constructed without authorization.
