Residents of the southern Chin State village of Simi want a Buddhist pagoda removed. They have collected 132 signatures and sent two letters to Chin State Chief Minister U Hung Ngai for the removal of the religious structure in a neighborhood, they say, is normally reserved for housing.
‘It’s not a fight over religious matters.” states the letter. “We accept that pagodas are a kind of decoration for the town, but the location is the centre of peoples’ residences. So it should be shifted to a location identified by department officials in 2004-2005.”
The letter warned of possible problems if no action is taken. “We’ll not take any responsibility if problems emerge because of the non-removal of the pagoda by the authorities.”
The pagoda was built by U Ki Kui Sei, Simi sub-township general administrator, in December 2013.
One anonymous source said the pagoda was constructed without any consultation from locals.
“We have discussed with U Han Win Aung, Simi’s sub-town administrator and the Paletwa town general administrator to move the pagoda, and identified five other locations for its relocation,” he added.
