“All illegal squatter houses will be demolished after the Dhammasariy Exam [Examination for Monks],” said the secretary of Yangon Region Government U Than Aung during a press conference on February 26. “The squatters are not from Yangon Division. They come from various states and regions. Yangon Region cannot accommodate all of them.”
The eviction and demolition will begin at the end of March.
“The demolition is inevitable, although there is no resettlement program yet,” added Yangon Region Border Affairs Minister, Colonol Win Tin.
Squatters make up ten procent of the Yangon population, which amounts to six hundred thousand people on a total city population of six million. About one fifth of all the houses in 44 of 45 townships in Yangon are illegal squatter houses, according to a Yangon Region Hluttaw Law Committee statement dating from 2013.
U Min Zaw is a squatter in Dagon Seik Kan Township (67) ward. He said squatters will live on the streets if their houses are demolished. “We have nowhere to live if our houses are destroyed. I have lived here since 2008.”
In the (67) Ward, there are presumably over four thousands illegal squatters. And in (60) Ward, (61) Ward and (93) Ward, there are altogether over two thousands squatters.
According to Hlaing Htar Yar Township Administrator U Htein Soe over five thousands squatters have already been removed. The remaining squatters that are to be evicted live mostly in Hlaing Thar Yar, Shwe Pyi Thar, North Okkalapa, Dagon Seik Kan, East Dagon and Insein townships.
