On April 6, military forces, police, and municipal authorities forcibly demolished residential shops at the old bus terminal in Aunglan, Magway Region. The demolished area is located between 18th and 19th streets in San Chaung Ward, where residents have been living for over three decades. Out of the total 42 shop houses and residences, authorities initially demolished four vacant shop units, according to local residents. The shop owners had been regularly paying monthly fees for their properties since purchasing them approximately 30 years ago.
During the demolition operation, military forces, police, and municipal authorities blocked the roads with full weapons and arrived with bulldozers and excavators. Despite residents kneeling and pleading to stop the demolition, authorities proceeded with the forced destruction, citing orders from above. According to local residents, the shop owners had been regularly paying their monthly fees, but received no compensation for the demolition of their properties. Women were seen crying and begging the authorities to stop, but the military and municipal forces continued their demolition work regardless of the protests.
This demolition has created additional hardship for residents who are already suffering from recent earthquake damage in the area. Local residents report that since the military coup in 2021, there has been a pattern of demolitions in Aunglan, with authorities targeting residential areas and homes under various pretexts, such as claiming illegal occupation or designating areas as government land. The ongoing demolitions represent a continuing pattern of displacement and property destruction affecting civilian populations in the area, with authorities showing little regard for the residents’ long-term occupancy rights or their current hardships.
