Myanmar security forces looted personal belongings worth nearly 20 million kyat from villages in Twante Township on the outskirts of Yangon on March 18, reported local residents.
Soldiers and police stole cash, gold and jewelry, cameras and food at gunpoint from houses in Phayagyi and Ziphyugon villages in Twante.
In Phayagyi village, the security forces looted a house that sells ice-cream. They reportedly took one million kyat kept in a cupboard, gold items worth more than six million kyat, according to market prices, an iPad, a camera worth two million kyat and two branded watches.
“They came into my house and took ice-creams. They also took the cash box. I hadn’t even counted the money that I had made from selling ice-creams. The total amount [stolen] will surely be more than 10 million kyat,” said the house owner.
“It is worth losing our belongings if we can achieve democracy. I don’t want to lose them for no good reason,” he said.
Police also stole gas cylinders, gas stoves, dried fish and jewelry from a house in the same village that sells gas cylinders and dried fish. The value of the stolen goods is over seven million kyat, according to the house owner who was robbed.
“It was an armed robbery. Once they [security forces] stopped their truck, they came into my house, shooting. They also shot open the door of my house and looted everything,” he said.
A villager in Ziphyugon said security forces stole 1.5 million kyat and food from the fridge of his house and broke cooking utensils. They also ransacked other homes in the village, he said.
Activists and those financially supporting the protests against the military regime were targeted by the security forces in the looting, said local residents.
Four trucks full of soldiers and police rampaged through four other villages in Twante and broke into at least five houses, ransacking property and looking for evidence.
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