30 Minutes or Less: Hlaing township shop owners had ticking clock before demolition crew moved in

A group of eight shops on a quiet street in Yangon’s Hlaing township were dismantled and cleared by 200 workers armed with axes and hammers on Sunday morning to make way for a new government-approved business area.

The unceremonious teardown took place at about 6am and saw shop owners given just 30 minutes to vacate the premises, according to Daily Eleven Myanmar, which said the newly opened space will make room for a project involving Myanmar Sunchaung Transport and Sunchang Global PTE LTD, a Singaporean firm.

Photos of the demolition crew, along with a video of a woman protesting the situation as unfair, were posted to a local Facebook account then mysteriously pulled about four hours later.

A police officer who was present at the scene and spoke to Coconuts Yangon on condition of anonymity said they had sent notices to the eight shops in question but that they they had overstayed the deadline, forcing their hand.

“We had sent them notices again and again. After their request was denied at the appeals court, we could legally move forward and take action,” the officer said.

In earlier negotiations, 10 shops moved away after being paid 30 lakhs (about US$1,900) each in compensation, Daily Eleven reported. The remaining eight shops remained in protest, demanding they be given 80 lakhs (US$5,057).

U Kyaw Kyaw Htun, a Yangon regional MP, told RFA Burmese that Yangon’s chief minister, Phyo Min Thein, had made numerous attempts to negotiate with the eight remaining shops, and and that the clearance was legal.

Unsurprisingly, local restaurant owner Daw Yu Yu didn’t see it that way.

“We cannot accept such an injustice in a democratically transitioning nation. When you are only offering us 30 lakhs, you are repressing your own citizens,” she told Daily Eleven, calling the action unfair and rushed. “You shouldn’t even use force against squatters who are trespassing — you give them assistance and you give them time.”

“We are tax-paying citizens. We are not squatters. We are paying government employees with our tax-money. Give us time; you are cracking down on us when you evict us without proper negotiations.”