Junta seize family’s home in Dawei whilst they holiday

18 January 2023
Junta seize family’s home in Dawei whilst they holiday

The Myanmar junta confiscated a family’s house in Tanintharyi’s Dawei Town in the second week of January whilst they were on holiday.

According to members of local resistance forces the house, on the corner of Hospital Road and Yae Thida Road in Shan Ma Lae Swe Ward, was confiscated because the family living there was under suspicion of having connections to resistance forces.

A son of the house’s owner is known to be actively involved in the revolution and is a former member of Dawei's Basic Education Students' Union.

He said: “I am very sad because I grew up there with my family since I was a child. It has been unjustly seized, they have no authority to do this, I feel so sorry for my family. We don’t know exactly when the Junta troops came and seized the house, but neighbours told us it happened in the second week of January.”

According to nearby residents, junta soldiers came to the house on 14 January and took away all the valuables and furniture in the house.

Another family member said: We are local traders, we did nothing wrong. We were unaware that our home had been seized because we were on holiday. Now, we don’t dare go back to our home.”

The family is scared of being apprehended by the junta, so they have gone on the run and are currently staying in a safe house.

The son said: “In comparison to the families who have lost loved ones in this revolution, ours is quite fortunate. We must put in more effort to succeed in this revolution. Then we can go home without restrictions.”

So far, the junta has used baseless accusations to unjustly confiscate approximately 10 houses in Dawei Township.