Elderly Man Expelled from Village After Claiming White Deer Was Born

Elderly Man Driven Out of Village After Developing Vitiligo

September 20

It is reported that an incident occurred in Saung Hpoe Village, Kyaukme Township, southern Shan State, in which a man was driven out of the village after allegedly developing vitiligo all over his body.

On September 18, village elders and local villagers collectively drove out a 72-year-old elderly man, and although health department officials came and explained that it was not an infectious disease, the village refused to accept this and collectively drove him out, it is reported.

"Health workers also came and explained. They even did blood tests and showed him, but the village wouldn't accept it. They drove him out saying they were afraid it would spread to them. At his old age, he has no place to live or food to eat, and is now living in a small hut in a farm field," a local resident said.

Vitiligo is a condition that arises from damage to skin cells and an abnormal immune system, and it is not a disease that spreads from person to person, it is reported.

The elderly man who was driven out of the village is currently living with great difficulty in a hut in a farm garden, and his family is also worried and anxious, it is reported.

In recent days, an incident also occurred in Taung Lay Village, Pinlaung Township, southern Shan State, in which village elders and their group collectively beat a young woman and destroyed her home, alleging that she violated village customs and traditions by having a relationship with a man from another village.

MyoTaw News Channel