Six shops on land leased by the Arakan State Public Relations and Information Department that opened in front of the department office were forced to move on the morning of July 28.
U Maung Maung, Deputy Director of the state’s Public Relations and Information Department, said that they leased the land in 2010 for MMK 10,000 per month but they have to stop the arrangement for security reasons.
“We [department] haven’t collected any rental fees from the shops from 2015 to 2019. We cannot allow them to stay anymore and they will have to move out according to law,” U Maung Maung said.
People who run the shops said that they received the letters on July 23 saying to move before July 29. They asked the Public Relations and Information Department to postpone the demolition plan until the end of rainy season. But as that proposal was rejected, conflict broke out between department staff and shop owners, and police had to come to provide security.
“We asked them to give us just three months. We told them we will move at the end of October. Now we are facing problems. We are relying on our businesses for our daily income,” said U Maung Hla Shwe, who ran a barber shop.
Since the shop owners were not happy with the decision to move, they have sought a permit at Sittwe’s township Police Force office to hold a mute demonstration on July 29.
On July 15, the police forced more than 70 shops on leased land in front of the Sittwe Myoma No. (1) police station compound to close down.
