More than 400 houses beside railway tracks of Hsipaw (Thibaw) township, Kyaukme district, Shan State, have been forced to move by the department under the Military Council, saying that the distance of the railway track area is not equal.

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A woman on the list to relocate said to the Shan Herald that more than 400 houses next to the railway track in Hsipaw (Thibaw) township will reportedly have to be relocated by the end of this month due to the unequal distance between the railway tracks and the area designated by the military.

“We have been here for a long time. It’s been more than 20 years. In the past, we were told to stay 75 feet away. Now it’s not like that anymore. They told us that all the houses adjacent to their area next to the railway tracks would have to be moved. I heard that we have to move to the end of February,” said the woman.

After more than 20 years of living with no support, she added that she would move if forced to evacuate her home due to the order of the Military Council.

In addition, since the military has not taken responsibility for finding a new area or given any responsibility regarding the displacement of their homes, the people who are currently displaced are worried about the area.

“If you are displaced, you will have to face difficulties. There is no place to live. Most of the displaced people are also from this region. I have to live this life because I am poor. I can’t afford to live in the urban area. It’s the poor neighborhoods. There are many elementary school children here. If the parents have to move, the children will have to follow their parents,” she continued.

The people living along the railway tracks are grassroots and day laborers.

“The people who live next to the railway track are the grassroots. They are day laborers. They also have many children. At this time, there are many difficulties for them. There is no one to help at the moment,” a local woman from Hsipaw (Thibaw) told the Shan Herald.

Among the more than 400 houses that will be relocated, there are around 40 school-aged middle and high school students, and the parents are worried that if the houses are actually moved, they will not be able to keep their children in school due to various difficulties.

In the 2 years since the military coup, the economy in the Shan state has been declining due to the political situation, and it has been difficult for the grassroots to find food for their livelihood.