Families Forced To Move Out In Election Preparations

29 September 2010: At least 57 families of government staffs living in state-owned houses in Chin Oo Si block of Hakha, Chin State have been ordered to move out without being provided new places for relocation.

The order issued on 13 September 2010 by Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) came as a source of distress for the Chin families as they were given only a week to find new houses in the capital of Chin State.

“The letter ordering us to start moving out from 15th of this month came directly from TPDC. It also said that any families who could not move out would have to pay 10,000 Kyats per day after the deadline given,” one of the family members told Chinland Guardian.

It is claimed that the deadline has been extended to 30 September 2010 after a series of demands from some families that could not afford or manage to find new places within the given date.

All of the families are actually government employees but the houses are to be emptied for a total of 40 newly recruited staffs, who will be working for the 2010 elections, according to one of the local TPDC staffs.

“All other government employees living in the houses, apart from those working in the TPDC office, are forced to move out,” one local told Chinland Guardian.

In the meantime, house prices are said to have been rising enormously in Hakha.

The Township military authority is said to have turned a deaf ear to the ‘unsettling’ situation, providing no support and compensation to the families.

Only 48 out of 57 families have managed to get new houses to move into in the capital city while 9 are still in ‘hot water’ due to the hiking prices of renting and difficulties in finding places.

On 13 August 2010, Burma’s long-standing military regime announced the date of the election, 7 November 2010, which will be held in accordance with the new constitution approved in a ‘rigged’ referendum held in May 2008.

Van Biak Thang
[email protected]
Chinland Guardian