State govt constructs house in confiscated Chin village

14 September 2016 — The Falam District Forest Department constructs a building in Bualpi just three days after village residents were forced to leave.

The structure, built with materials collected from houses bulldozed by the government of Chin State in cooperation with the authorities in Kalay of Sagaing Region, is believed to be used for security guards.

Salai Tluang, from Kalay, who went to the site, told the Chin Human Rights Organization that the construction had started on 4 September and that the area had been heavily guarded by police in cooperation with the forest department.

“Access to the vicinity of the area is prohibited. I secretly went close to the place through the jungle. No villagers are allowed to get any of their belongings including animals in the place,” he said.

The department reportedly said that there was a plan to plant teak in the area in the near future.

Early this month, all the residents were forced to leave their village without being given any humanitarian support by the authorities.

However, the Chin State government stated that they had been evicted because the majority of them had stayed in the village illegally.#