The junta soldiers continue demolishing houses in Tinma village, which comprises over 500 houses, under Kyauk Taw township to make space for a military camp.
The village is still deserted as the residents left their houses during the last gun fighting between the junta forces and Arakan Army members in 2021.
The wood pillars, timbers and roof-tins are being demolished by the junta soldiers for use in the army camp and some may be sold out illegally, said local residents.
They informed that the military council troops started demolishing remaining houses in the market area of Tin Ma Gyi since 11 September.
"Since Monday, we could hear the sound of demolishing houses. Many houses in Tinma village market were demolished. They are planning to build a camp there and also to sell the leftovers,” said a resident.
The junta forces also demolished many public properties in the residential areas. A villager even insisted that the military council and AA members should protect the houses under the law.
The villagers reported that several houses in Tinma village were built in
Rakhine culture style many years ago and are now being razed by the military
council army.
In March 2020, the junta forces and AA members clashed near the village and it scared the villagers. The soldiers also burned down more than 100 houses in Tinma village.
Even, some soldiers of number 55 army brigade-stationed at Taung Shay mountain near Tinma village- entered the village on 13 and 16 March 2021. At least 18 villagers from U Maung Sein Gyi, U Hla Kyaw Gyi and U Kyaw Win Maung were also arrested and they went missing since then.
The relatives of those villagers had repeatedly written to Rakhine State government for information about those missing villagers. They also urged the authorities to allow them to return to their village.
Even they appealed to junta chief major general Min Aung Hlaing for allowing them to return to the village for repairing religious buildings, including the monasteries, which were damaged by cyclone Mocha that hit Rakhine State on 14 May, but till date no response is received.
"As there is no fighting, the situation is stable and peaceful. The villagers have written to Min Aung Hlaing and his officials at least 9 times, for allowing the villagers to come back. But the authorities have not responded positively, said a villager.
It is understood that over 3,000 people from Tinma village have not been able
to return home. They are living in IDP camps and other villages under
Kyauk Taw township, which is 80 miles north of Rakhine capital city of Sittwe,
for almost 4 years now.