Family members staged a protest in Manaung, Rakhine State on March 20 to demand the government to drop charges against three families for refusing to evict for the airport expansion project as they were not given the market price.
Eleven family members gave a talk in front of the Independence Monument in Manaung and marched along the road to the courthouse while holding placards and shouting slogans.
The local authorities ordered the families of U Thar Ni, U Phyu Thee Khine, and U Tin Nu to evict to make way for the expansion of Manaung Samon-tae Airport. However, the families refused to demolish their homes after refusing to accept the compensation from the government as it was below the market price.
The families have been sued by Manaung Township Farmland Management Committee’s secretary U Saw Shwe Maung.
“My house and land is worth over Ks 60 million, but I was only given Ks 700,000 for the land and Ks 5 million for the house as compensation. I can’t even buy a plot of land with this money. U Thar Ni’s house is a two-storey house. The house and the land are worth over Ks 100 million, but he was only given a little compensation. We are being sued because we refuse to leave if we don’t receive better compensation. We are protesting to demand [the government] to drop the charges,” said U Phyu Thee Khine, who has been sued.
Manaung resident Ko Thein Soe Win, who led the protest, said the families have been charged with building a house on a farmland and the lawsuit goes against Section 43 of the 2008 Constitution.
“They have been sued after wrongfully charged with building a house on the farmland even though their families have been living here since 150 years ago since the days of their ancestors. We are protesting [against the government] to drop the lawsuit since it is unfair,” Ko Thein Soe Win told the Narinjara News.
The protesters shouted slogans to demand Manaung Township Farmland Management Committee to drop the lawsuit against U Phyu Thee Khine and U Tar Ni under Section 35 of the 2012 Farmland Law for allegedly constructing buildings on the farmland. They also called on Manaung Township Court to dismiss the case against the accused.
Among the three families that are facing the lawsuit, U Tin Nu’s family has agreed to demolish their home after accepting the compensation in fear of being arrested and going to prison.
The protesters gave a 30-minute talk and ended the protest after marching from 12:30 pm to 1 pm.
