Thein Zaw (Mangdaw), 10 July 2019:
India has handed over 250 new houses to Myanmar on Tuesday which were built for displaced villagers in the restive northern Rakhine state of Maung Daw in 2017.
The pre-fabricated houses are part of an agreement signed between the two countries in December 2017.
The ceremony of hand-over took place yesterday morning in Maung Daw Shwe Zarr village tact of Aung Ba Hla, presented by India Ambassador of Myanmar and Dr Win Mya Aye, Union Minister of Social Welfare and other officials.
U Ni Maung, a local Hindu Community Leader said “after the 2017 August 25 attacked, hundreds of Hindu people displaced. We were learnt to have built shelter houses by the State. We all Hindu have been there for one and ten months in the temporary shelter. Now, by the thanks of India government we got it.”
Among 250 newly built houses, the largest of the three clusters of houses, called Shwe Zar village, has 148 units for the Hindu community.
The other two plots of land with the India-built houses are at the nearby Kyein Chaung Taung village - where 60 houses were built for Muslims - and the 42-house Nant Thar Taung for Rakhine villagers.
Nant Thar Taung village Saradaw U R Sar Ra said “India government have committed to provide assistance for the social economic development of Maung Daw. We now fully acknowledged what the donations of India government here today. We hope to receive more assistance from the government of India in the future.”
Under the 2017 agreement, India will provide an additional 750 houses to Myanmar, but the exact date of that project has not known yet.