Two people committed suicide after the junta evicted them with a week’s notice from their houses in Pyinmapin Industrial Zone in Yangon’s Mingaladon Township.

The body of a man who had hanged himself was found at his house in Myawaddy Ward on 18 November and on 21 November the body of a woman who had also hanged herself was found at her house in Myae Myan Aung Ward.

According to reports, after both incidents junta troops came to investigate the deaths.

A local resident said: “Two people hanged themselves. One was from Myawaddy Ward and the other was from Myae Myan Aung Ward. They hanged themselves because they were facing too much pressure.”

Pyinmapin residents explained that many of the houses in the Pyinmapin Industrial Zone are nice, big houses that were built and paid for by the people living there who were living there legally and not squatting. Some of the residents had apparently spent up to 120 million kyats on building their houses.

Following the eviction notices, some residents removed everything of value that they could from their houses and then destroyed what was left to prevent the junta from profiting from their evictions in any way. The junta has been destroying the other vacated houses that have not been destroyed by their owners.

Approximately 10,000 households from five wards in the area of the Pyinmapin Industrial Zone were told that their homes had been illegally constructed and that they were illegal squatters. On 10 and 11 November, they were served with eviction orders saying that they had to vacate their properties by 18 November.

The residents of a monastery, a nunnery and other religious buildings within the Pyinmapin Industrial Zone were also evicted.