Local residents concerned about fire accidents at the military shooting training field

May 20, 2016

Thanbyuzayat: In 2006, 100 acres of rubber plantations from Sakhan Gyi village, Thanbyuzayat Township, Mon State, have been confiscated by the military light infantry No. 4, to build a military training camp [shooting training field].

They cleared these rubber plantations and built the shooting training field. Rubber plantation workers live at the plantation site and these plantations were confiscated by force without any compensation.

U Ngwe Win, resident of Sakhan Gyi village told HURFOM “Sometimes when they were practicing their shooting, their bullets dropped on our plantation. Their bullets hit our rubber plants and destroy them. The main thing is that we always live at our plantation site and our children play around there. As we always have to live in worry, something like this should not happen.”

They carried out the shooting training every three months. When they practice shooting, they use big bullets. When they miss their target, the big bullets drop on the nearby plantation and cause a fire.

“They came to plant their camp three days before their shooting training started. They informed the village administrator. Then the village administrator informed the villagers. During the shooting training period, villagers cannot usually work. Once they left the site, after shooting training, fire destroys the plantation gardens nearby. Villagers usually have to go and stop the fire themselves” said local resident Nai Thint.

This fire accident happens every year. Sakhan villagers lose rubber plants due to this accident and there is no compensation or responsibility from the military.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News