Residents of Thein Za Yat village in Mon State’s Kyaikto Township took to the streets yesterday to protest what they deemed was too lenient of a sentence for a group of arsonists who destroyed a huge chunk of their village.
In February of 2016, a group of ten people set fire to 650 houses that made up Wa Dei village, part of the Thein Za Yat village cluster. They were arrested and charged for committing arson, damaging property, and for criminal intent. Last month, a judge ruled that they were guilty, but sentenced each culprit to a measly one year in prison.
Marching through the town yesterday afternoon, about 50 protestors shouted chants such as “Stop terrorist acts”, “Courts need to reach the correct verdicts”, and “The rule of law concerns us”.
Maung Shwe, one of the villagers who lead the demonstration, explained to Eleven: “By setting fire to houses in the village, they’ve destroyed people’s lives. The fact that the court has only handed down a one year prison sentence for such a serious crime means that people’s lives are no longer safe. How will the public view this? Do citizens no longer have security under the new government?”
