Land issue

In an exclusive interview with Karen News, Saw Albert, Field Director of Karen Human Right Group (KHRG), talk about the land confiscation and its impact on the livelihood of villagers, as well as the unfavorable conditions of legal mechanism towards villagers to secure their lands. Peace Process Doesn’t Help Villagers to Secure their Land Land confiscation is serious because 70%…

The Karen National Union’s Agriculture Department will give priority to assist the public in obtaining their land ownership rights and solve land issues that rose up in the mixed controlled areas within this year. The department made the decision during its 12th year-end meeting held at Kalo Yaw Hta under Hpa-an District on May 30. Local residents from the KNU-controlled…

Compensation would be given to locals whose farmlands or fruit tree plantations were affected by the two power cable projects from Myawady to Mawlamyaing and Myawady to Kawkareik. The Myawady-Mawlamyaing 230 KV and Myawady-Kawkareik 66 KV power line projects is being built, some of its towers run through farmlands and plantations. Government officials have said that a committee will be…

Karen National Union leaders has called for respective state and regional governments to recognized land rights and policies that are already in place for decades in ethnic areas and agreed to by both ethnic communities and armed groups. Padoh Mahn Mahn, the joint general secretary of the Karen National Union made the call to the government during the launch of…

Villagers in Karen State are upset tunnels dug on their land for international and local telecommunication companies was done without permission. Naung Ka Myaing villagers in Hpa-an township, Karen State are now demanding and official clarification and paperwork about the cable tunnel digging project that was carried out on their farmlands and backyards The tunnel excavation was carried out by…

Villagers in Karen State have lodged a protest to their local land registration office against applications by companies and investors to take community land for development projects. The villagers from Minekan, Hpa-an Township, submitted an letter to the township land registration office on May 27 protesting that applications for permits to grow long-term crops in unclaimed forest land was owned…

More than 130 villagers from 20 villages in Hlaingbwe and Hpa-An Township signed a petition letter and sent to the state parliament demanding a solution to the dispute over farmland that was granted concession to businessman for a rubber plantation. Daw Nan Say Awa, a member of parliament from the Pyithu Hluttaw [House of Representatives], Karen State said that the…

The Burma government and a Thai company have agreed to pay compensation to farmers for damaging or taking their land while building the Asian Highway network link between Myawaddy and Kawkareik in Karen State. Saw Maw Htoo, Chairperson of the Karen National Union Kawkareik Township office, told Karen News that the KNU, Burma government, and company representatives held a meeting…

The Karen National Union and the government have agreed to work together to try to solve contentious land issues, including confiscation. At the regional level meeting between the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Tanintharyi government, both sides agreed that the KNU and government would discuss and cooperate on land issues. The meeting between the KNU Mergui-Tavoy District leaders and…

Disputes over land issues have increased in the Hpa-an Town region in Karen State since the establishment of economic zones and a rush to start ‘development projects’ in the area. Myaing Thar Yar villagers have reported to government officials that the children of Khun Bayin, an early settler of the village, are claiming their lands. Villagers said Khun Bayin’s children…