How the Tatmadaw steals homes
The following essay was submitted by a Burmese friend in country, whose identity is kept hidden to protect his safety.
A sixty-seven year old man told me that under previous military rule, one still had rights, to some extent, to defend oneself and one’s family under the law. He related the story of something that happened in 1988. He said that one of his sisters was a protest leader during the national strike that year. After the coup by the so-called State Law and Order Restoration Council military junta, the police came to her parents’ house and wanted to post a warrant for her arrest on the wall of his house. The father was an educated man, and aware of the law. He complained to the police officer that his daughter was already eighteen years old, which meant she was no longer a dependent, so he would not allow the warrant to be posted there. The police officers agreed, and left his house.
However, this military junta led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is more ruthless and unlawful than its predecessors. The Irrawaddy Burmese News reported on March 3rd that the military had seized hundreds of houses across the country belonging to individuals who have taken part in the protest movement, in the hope of weakening resistance to its rule. Worse still, the junta has arrested family members of protesters, and they have not only targeted prominent leaders of CRPH and NUG, but have taken over the houses of striking civil servants, journalists, celebrities and businessmen who have supported the resistance movement against the regime. They sealed off the houses and other types of property owned by more than 100 civilians in the month of February alone. In Mandalay, the office of the Mahar rescue group was also seized. That old man continued, “They are acting like robbers; actually, worse than robbers.”
On 1 February 2022, the anniversary of the coup, people from all different states and regions across the country joined in a silent strike, and businesses closed their shop. Several businessmen and shop owners were arrested, and their houses were also seized. The military also sealed off property if they did not find their wanted person when they raided a home.
Even in small towns which are remote from the cities of the country, it was witnessed that the junta’s forces came and raided the closed house of a quarter’s protest leader who joined the peaceful protests and was simply watching over the people’s homes for their safety. In fact, they came and raided the house, searched all the things, took the precious things such as jewelries, and eventually sealed off the house later.
A man who left the country and is now living in a neighboring country, said, “These evils have lost their human sense already.” His saying was true: “Each individual worked hard to own a house. They were easily destroyed. These evils might either confiscate it or burn it down into ashes. They do not know how the tears of the innocent civilians are the curses for them. They must fail.”
Anyway, the news reports about the confiscation of the civilian’s houses and burning down the villages and houses, are seen almost everyday now. Not only are soldiers now regularly seizing the houses of the prominent leaders, celebrities, vocalists, political activists, but they are also confiscating and destroying the properties of the charities’ leaders who are helping to provide humanitarian relief aids to the suffering people of our country! They are also stealing the property of the members of the Union Election Commission, journalists, low-income civil servants and poor farmers. They are intentionally committing these crimes not only with the intention of weakening and oppressing the opposition of every component, but also for the avarice of the members of the forces who are involved in these crimes. The henchmen, i.e. pro-military persons, are also planning attacks and assaults based only on their personal hatred of specific individuals as well. We have evidence of this.
Obviously, the junta is accelerating their oppression not only to weaken opponents but also to threaten the public, warning them not to join in the democratic movement. Although the international communities and governments do not recognize the junta, nor does anyone in the country see them as legitimate either, they simply accelerating their brutality even further.