Soe Htike Aung
The Chairperson of Kayah State Hluttaw Complaint Analysis Committee, U Aung Naing Oo, said to compensate or return the confiscated lands to the local owners if it is not used in reality.
“They should return the unused lands to the farmers. There are too many farmers lost their lands. If they will use it real, they should compensate for it. Many unused lands are left behind. Those lands also should be returned to original owners.”
Regarding to the complained lands, mostly the authorities applied for Land Use Certificate (Form-7) onto local owned lands, which harms a lot to the citizens.
Among the complaints reported to Complaint Analysis Committee, the disputes about land ownership are the most.
There are totally 484 complaints submitted to Complaint Analysis Committee within 2017 to May 31, 2020, and there are 263 complaints related to the disputes of land ownership.
The member of Kayah Earthrights Action Network (KEAN), Saw Eh Say, said the numbers of complaints are increasing as the current applicable laws are not compatible with ethnic regions,
“These belong to ordinary people, ethnics, and our local people. However, the elites are managing the land resources from upper level; they manage whatever they want and grab what they want. I see these matters as it is absolutely unfair and completely incompatible.”
Daw Hso Shay Villager, Daw Nyar Mar who is still facing with the unsolved land confiscation problem, talked about her difficulties as below since she doesn’t have land anymore to cultivate.
“I have neither home nor farmland. I have no more idea how my children will make their living. I don’t know what they will eat. I could not sleep at night too. I’m really depressed. I could imagine only my farm in my eyes. I am really tired. No more food to eat, and no education. We rely only on farming. Now no more farmland to make living. Nothing left with us. We make our lives with daily paid job. However, the farmers (landowners) use pesticides; so, they rent no more workers. I have no more idea what to do for living.”
According to the Kayah State Government’s Program Performance Report 2019, there are totally 95 complaints related to land confiscation in state within one year, and 92 complaints are solved, and 3 complaints are on progress.
In those land issues, they are the land dispute of train station in Loikaw including the disputes between military and publics. Although it was raised in the Public Forum meeting with the State Counselor on January 15, it said the government takes any action until today.
Besides, there are also other cases left behind to solve by the government, and those are Field No.259, U’ Paing No.6 farmland case in Mahtaw Khu Village-tract, Loikaw, Field No.153 land issue at Lawpita Village-tract, Field No.250 Land-use Planning for College of Education in Mahtaw Khu Village-tract, Lowikaw Township, Field No.196/077-South Field, U’ Paing No.55/70 land confiscation as Development Affairs’ own and used as commercial land for rent case entitled with city development, and Field No.166 land issue at Nant Bawwan Ward, Loikaw.