IN FOCUS

Homeless

A fire in Kyee Myin Daing Township on the outskirts of Yangon ravaged the village of Ba Lote Nyunt on Feb. 16, leaving 800 local residents homeless. The township is one of three on the western bank of the Yangon River that had been slated for development under a city expansion plan. The US$8 billion project has since been shelved after a backlash over opaque tendering procedures and a lack of public input. As the hot season approaches in Myanmar, people brace for frequent fire outbreaks. The government and the fire department are still ill-equipped and underprepared to manage serious fires.