Pai Khun residents demand return of land seized by Burma army
Residents in southern Shan State’s Pai Khun Township on Friday staged two rallies to
demand the return of lands seized more than 20 years ago by the Burmese armed
forces.
Ko Kyaw Tin Aung, a protester
from the nearby town of Moe Pyae, said that a multi-ethnic mix of demonstrators--Kayan
(Karenni), Inn and Shan local residents--had turned out at two separate
locations in Moe Pyae to voice their demands on the morning of September 23. One
rally was held in front of Moe Pyae administration office, while the other took
place outside the Burmese army’s Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 422 base.
“The military confiscated our
land a long time ago,” he said. “This is the third time we have protested. The
villagers who lost their lands have faced considerable difficulties over the
years.”
He said that in 2015 they
had demanded the return of seized lands from the Ministry of Defence; however LIB
422 officials had counterclaimed that the land belonged to them.
“To date, no resolution has
been found, and no further action taken,” Ko Kyaw Tin Aung added.
In 1993, government troops
were sent in to the Pai Khun area as reinforcements to protect the Moe Pyae
hydropower project. Locals claim the army confiscated some 1,500 acres (6 km²) of
villagers’ farmland. Later, they extended the land grab to 2,000 acres, which
also included the local cemetery.
Villagers in Moe Pyae also
petitioned the previous government headed by President Thein Sein, but say that
no action was taken. They claim they must now take their case to the newly
elected administration led by the National League for Democracy.
“Under this new democratic
government, these plots of land should be returned to the rightful owners,”
said Khun Bi Htoo, the chairman of Kayan National Party. “They can do this because
a lot of the seized land is still unused.”
During the dark era of Burma’s
military dictatorship, especially in the 1990s, land confiscations such as in Moe Pyae were commonplace across
the country. The seizures by the military were often arbitrary, with the army
flexing its muscles in local regions. In many cases, the lands were leased to
agribusiness firms or other businesses close to military coffers.
By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
Tags: News, Politics
