Homes near HQ in Naypyitaw evacuated, demolished as Myanmar military expropriates civilian property

As the Myanmar military regime moves to clear civilian residences near its bases in the Naypyitaw Union Territory, homes in up to 10 villages on the old Yangon-Mandalay highway may become targets for demolition. In November of last year, the Naypyitaw Council issued eviction notices to more than 50 households in the village of Thit Tat, located next to the highway near a military parade ground, on the pretext that the homes were in the way of a planned road expansion. In early January, residents of the village filed a suit challenging the eviction orders at the Zayathiri Township Court, but the court ruled against them, ordering them to relocate by the end of February, according to a source familiar with the case. Other details about the case remain undisclosed, and the court records are not accessible to the public at the time of reporting. Thit Tat village has existed since long before Naypyitaw was founded. A female resident in her 50s, who lived in the village for nearly 40 years before Myanmar’s previous military dictatorship established the capital, said the houses near the road had been sold during the very first stages of Naypyitaw’s development. “Road engineers from the development project purchased these homes from the residents and moved into them,” she explained. “Now, they are being demolished so they can widen the highway.” An elderly man who had lived in a village near the military headquarters for more than four decades speculated that the military regime could be preparing for battles to spread closer to the capital. “With clashes happening closer to Naypyitaw, I believe this is why they’re forcing villagers to relocate,” he said. “They’re afraid resistance fighters could hide in the villages near the military headquarters and mount attacks.” “Previously, workers hired at the military headquarters only had to go through one initial inspection before entering,” he added. “Now, they have to leave their ID cards and personal details. If there are relocations, it would be a clear sign that security concerns are behind these actions.” The People’s Defence Forces—the armed wing of the publicly mandated National Unity Government (NUG)— used shells and drones in attacks targeting Naypyitaw’s Aye Lar airbase and a military headquarters that housed junta chief Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing’s office in April of last year. “In the days after the military headquarters was hit by drone strikes, they would conduct daily overnight guest registration checks in the villages,” the man living near the military headquarters said. “Military trucks were also stationed in the villages to conduct patrols.” Map of Naypyitaw A personal assistant to a junta minister, who went to headquarters routinely for work, said at least 20 security guards were stationed at the entrance in April of last year, carrying out thorough searches of visitors’ belongings and closely checking their personal information. “Visitors have to present their IDs at the checkpoint and exchange them for passes,” he explained. “If they’re unfamiliar with the location, the guards give them a map on paper. Even the family members of military personnel are only allowed in after inspection, and they have to dismount from their motorcycles and push them through.” The tightened security at the headquarters also prohibited any visits, even by high-ranking officers or their relatives, after 6pm.Amid the heightened scrutiny following the resistance attacks, civilians in the Naypyitaw Union Territory already had ample cause for anxiety before rumours emerged that the junta was planning to transfer its premier officer training academy to Naypyitaw.If it occurred, the transfer of training courses from the Defence Services Academy (DSA) in Pyin Oo Lwin, Mandalay Region to the capital would also likely require the military to force civilians out of surrounding villages. In early February, hearing an announcement from Min Aung Hlaing that a new agriculture and livestock university would launch in Ayeyarwady Region in the coming year, residents speculated that the faculties at Yezin Agricultural University in Naypyitaw’s Pyinmana Township would be transferred there to make room for officer training. Yae Sin, Pyinmana Township—the village for which Yezin Agricultural University is named—is located between the military headquarters and Thit Tat village, where the mass eviction took place. “We’ve heard rumours about road expansion, the DSA moving, and the forced relocation of villagers, so now we’re worried,” said a woman in her 40s who had been a resident of Yae Sin for more than 30 years. Some villages in the Naypyitaw Union Territory, including Sein Sar Pin, Zayathiri Township, are even located within the designated military zone around the headquarters. Other villages on the old Yangon-Mandalay highway, such as Kyauk Chet, Aik Sauk, and Thit Tat, are also within this territory. Despite the rumours, some Naypyitaw residents said that as of Thursday they had not heard any word or notice that homes in the villages were slated for removal. An official from the highway department of the Naypyitaw Development Committee in Zayathiri Township said any relocation would be carried out according to the law. “Thit Tat was demolished without compensation because it was settled against the law,” he said. “If people in the villages near Yezin University had to be relocated, it would not be handled recklessly.” Nevertheless, villagers recalled that forced removals had often occurred with little to no warning in the past. Near the Maravijaya Buddha Park in Dekkhinathiri Township—the construction of which is taking place under Min Aung Hlaing’s personal supervision—authorities evicted a monastery that had been standing for over 70 years, a school, and more than 500 homes. Before these evictions, Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun, the junta’s spokesperson, had announced that the military regime would be removing “squatters” whom the previous civilian administration had allowed to stay in the area for political reasons. Military authorities have also recently bulldozed houses near the training academies in Pyin Oo Lwin, claiming they were located in forest reserve areas. A section of the old Yangon-Mandalay highway leading to the Naypyitaw military headquarters, shown in early 2024 (Photo: Myanmar Now)

Homes near HQ in Naypyitaw evacuated, demolished as Myanmar military expropriates civilian property

Families have been evicted from around 50 homes in a village older than the junta’s administrative capital—founded in 1995—provoking fears among local civilians that their homes could be next

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