Around 3,000 Kyauk Taw refugees return home after junta’s persuasion

Narinjara News, 31 March 2023

Around 3,000 IDPs  of Kyauk Taw township have returned to their places on Thursday morning as the military council compelled them to return even without clearing landmines and remnants of the war.

The refugees are from eight IDP camps namely Nay Pu Kan, COC Christian School,  Shanwyar village, Kavidarana, Train Station, Nyaung Chaung, Thein Kyaung and Mahamuni military evacuation camp.
They left the camps by the cars and boats in different groups.

A female refugee from Mahamuni refugee camp informed that she did not want to return home, but they were compelled by the military council to do so.

"I did want to go back. We will face more difficulties while going back. There are still junta soldiers near our village and landmines are not removed till date. Recently some villagers were injured and even killed in mine explosions,” she added.

According to reliable sources, the junta officials  offered Kyats 600,000 to each family which returned home.
“The authority will not give us Kyats 600,000 if we disagree with their proposal. The IDP camps are expected to be demolished soon. So many refugees finally decided to return back to their villages,” said the female refugee.

Twelve households from Naypu Khan IDP camp,  five groups from COC Christian School refugee camp,  one family from May Kyaung camp,  426 from Mahamuni camp,  66 families from Nyang Chaung camp,  nine groups from the monastery camp, 43 groups from Shanwyar village camp,  30 households from Train Station camp & Kavi Yadana camp, 52 groups from Thein Kyung & Taungminkula refugee camp left for villages.

There are more than 1,000 families among those displaced by the war in Kyauk Taw, and since the military council does not have a budget for all, only 600 families could be forced to return home in the first batch.
An elderly IDP from Shwe Pye village, who took shelter in Mahamuni refugee camp, said that with the offered money (Kyats 600,000) to one family, they would find it difficult to survive.

"They do not have houses in the villages.  My house was destroyed and there is nothing left for my family. Once I return home with two granddaughters, I have to face all difficulties. I cannot reconstruct my houses with the offered amount of money,” he added.

The military council officials threatened that the remaining refugees, who are yet to leave the camps, will be forced to return home by the end of May.