land confiscation

Villagers in Karen State are less than ecstatic that more than 232 acres of farmland, confiscated by the Burma Army and other government officials will be returned to them. The National League for Democracy Government’s Land Management Group, based in Karen State, said the land would be returned to its rightful owners. Villagers said the 232 acres are just the…

The number of quarries in Mon State is quickly increasing and locals say authorities fail to regulate their environmental impact on farmlands. PAUNG TOWNSHIP, Mon State – On a recent afternoon in May, the farmers of Ohn Titbin Village Tract were tending to their betel nut and rubber plantations when a loud blast erupted at the foot of Kalama Mountain…

Villagers in Doo Tha Htoo District Karen State are demanding to be paid full compensation for their lands they allege were illegally taken by one of Burma’s largest companies. Residents of Shwe Yaung Pya village and surrounding villages in Thaton Township have made it clear that they want to get paid full compensation for 5,000 acres of land near Shwe…

Mi Kayin villagers in Hpa-an Township held a prayer service for the protection of their land and natural resources threatened by the proposed cement plant on March 29, 2016. The villagers gathered at the base of Mi Kayin Mountain for the public prayer service after a recently revived proposal to develop a limestone quarry and cement factory near their village.…

The new government will have to address numerous junta-era land grabs, such as in Ayeyawaddy Region’s Pantanaw Township where hundreds of farmers lost land. PANTANAW, Ayeyarwady Region (Myanmar Now) – As darkness fell in Khanwebo on the night of February 3, a sudden ruckus erupted when dozens of policemen entered the coastal village in Ayeyarwady Region. They were looking for…

War Zwin villagers in Pulaw Township, Tannitharyi Division want their confiscated lands return to them. The villagers’ lands were taken in 2001by Burma Army to make way for the No.12 Secondary Military Training School. Saw Hser K’paw Doh, a War Zwin villager told Karen News that a petition demanding their land be returned was sent to Min Aung Hlaing, Commander-in-Chief…

Two Hpa-an based land right activists have been jailed for two years in jail, under Article 17/1 for association with an illegal organization. The two men, Saw Maung Maung Gyi and Saw Eh Say were sentenced on November 25, at Hpa-an Township’s Court. Saw Maung Maung Gyi, an 88 Generation Karen Student Group’s chairperson who had been helping local villagers…

The arbitrary arrest and imprisonment of land rights activists across Burma forms a new wave of prisoners of conscience, Human Rights Watch has said in a report damning of the government. The human rights organisation pointed to the arrest of a prominent land rights campaigner in Karen State as an example of a wider pattern of government persecution of its…

Land confiscation in Karen state has continues to increase according to a new report from the Karen Human Rights Group. The KHRG report titled, “With only our voices, what can we do?” was released on July 15 in the Thai border town of Mae Sot. The report documents the increased land confiscation by government officials and the Burma Army and…

A news bulletin released by the Karen Human Rights Group stating that a road planned by the Burma government with funding from the Asian Development Bank threatens villagers’ ability to earn a living. The Karen Human Rights Group claim that if the Asia Highway link between Eindu and Kawkareik goes ahead the “construction would result in the confiscation of villagers’…