Kaladan News
Date:
Nasaka Issued Ultimatum to the Villagers whether to
Pay Kyats 500, 000 or to Demolish the Houses
Maungdaw, July 20: Nasaka
issued an ultimatum to the Rohingya villagers whether
to pay Kyats 500,000 per house or to demolish their tin roofed houses in
On July 4, 2004, Captain Aung Kyaw Moe, the Commander of the Nasaka Sector No.4 called a meeting in their Nasaka camp inviting some villagers including village
Chairmen and Secretaries of Kyein Chaung
and Pruma villages of Maungdaw
north. In the meeting, the Commander asked the villagers to demolish the tin
roofed houses, which were built in last five years back. And to avoid this,
whether the villagers have to pay Kyats 500,000 per house or to demolish all
the houses, a villager participated in the meeting said.
On hearing the order, the participants of the meeting requested to the
Commander to withdraw the order as in the rainy season, it will be very
difficult to stay in other places after destroying their houses. But, the said
Captain took no notice, said a villager from the village.
He further said, “ If any one meet not to comply the
order, he would be punished according to the laws. The villagers have to
destroy all the houses by
About 120 houses in two villages would be affected by this order. Some of the
villagers have already paid Kyats 500,000 (US$ 556) to the Nasaka
per house, who can afford this money and the rest are trying their best to pay.
But, most of them are unable to pay the said money as their acute poverty, said
another villager who preferred not to mention his name.
Deliberately, Nasaka arrested and detained three of
the villagers, on the information of discussion each other about the
Commander’s order. However, they were released after bribing, he further added.
In 1999-2000, when General Khin Nyunt, the then Secretary 1, present Prime
Minister of State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) visited to this area and
instructed the villagers to redecorate the bordering town and villages with
good quality of roofs and etc. Therefore, some villagers had built some tin roofed
houses after getting permission from
concerned authorities. But now, The Commander denied everything and charging
the villagers on illegal modification of houses in bordering areas.
When asked a village elite said, “ We have no strength
not to comply their order because of the judge and the defendant are the same
person. They know that in rainy season, the villagers would be faced acute
difficulties after destroying our houses. They do it deliberately.”
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