The military is forcing the displaced people from Kawkareik town, Kayin State, to return to their homes, and if they don’t return, the military threatens to seal their houses, according to locals.
“The people on the side that didn’t burn will stay back. If they don’t come, they (junta) will take their farms. The military has written a list of everything, and residents are forced to return. For those whose houses burned during the fighting, the military said that the Muslims would be asked to live in a mosque. The Buddhists will be put in a monastery,” a woman from Kawkareik told MPA.
As for those who lost their homes to fire during the current conflict, they are living in monasteries when they return home from IDP camps.
“I heard that the people whose houses burned down will be given money, cement, and other necessary things. The junta troops said they would contact those people by phone when they do. There are many people left in IDP camps. I know that not all of them have returned. Some of them don’t have a home to return to,” he explained.
Many people have reportedly returned to live in the quarters of Kawkareik, and the Kawkareik city market has also been reopened.
“Some displaced people are forced to return home due to the unjust coercion of the military. For example, if people don’t return, the military will seal their houses. As usual, they will want to broadcast the news that their administrative mechanisms are re-operated. The residents can be used as human shields. The locals can know whether it is safe or not,” said an official of the White Tiger Column.
Currently, clashes between the KNU/KNLA joint forces and the junta Aung Zeya column _ arriving on the New Asia Road outside of Kawkareik to attack Myawaddy _ are taking place almost daily. The Aung Zeya column stopped near the Tonaw Waterfall on Dawna Range and wasn’t able to move forward.
