November 22, 2022
Shop tenants at Kyaiktiyo Pagoda in Kyaikto Township, Mon State, are no longer able to pay rent for shop space rented through tenders as hardly any pilgrims visit the pagoda and they are facing a financial crisis, the shop tenants said.
Before the outbreak of Covid-19, a number of people visited the pagoda, but the number declined after clashes broke out between military council troops and local resistance forces, leaving shop space renters unable to pay auction fees, said a relative of a shop tenant in the pagoda.
“Even to open a small betel nut shop, they have to pay about MMK 12 or 13 million for the auction fees. Most of them borrow money from lenders to pay the fees, with interest rates ranging from MMK 1 to MMK 2 to MMK 30. Some rice and curry shops even have to borrow at an interest rate of MMK 10. Since they literally have no visitors, they can’t even run their shops right now. My younger sister did well selling Kapyar Kayar snack (a type of Myanmar pancake) last year. She expected to sell a lot this year, but because of the ongoing fighting, it did not turn out as she expected. And she can’t pay her debts,” she told the Karen Information Center (KIC).
Most of the people who open such shops are locals and since there are hardly any pilgrims, they have to open street stalls in the town to make a living. This is not safe for them given the prevailing curfew from 8 pm to 4 am, the resident added.
On October 12, three female visitors were killed and 13 wounded when military council troops stationed at the foot of Kyaiktiyo Hill fired indiscriminately with light and heavy weapons, according to a statement by the Karen National Union (KNU).
Even after the end of the rainy season in the country, there are hardly any pilgrims visiting the famous pagoda due to the shooting. As the military council has increased security in the area, local residents are worried and shop vendors are making losses, said another shop tenant.
“We have no choice but to sell at a loss because the money has already been paid. But some are understandingly renting back their shop spaces,” she told KIC.
Similarly, regime troops fired artillery at Peinhnekone village in Pyinkatoe village tract in Kyaito Township in KNU-administered Thaton District on October 19, burning six houses and forcing more than 8,000 residents to flee to safety, according to a KNU statement.
Sent by KIC.