Farmers reject military offer of land return

Farmers reject military offer of land return

By Pyae Thet Phyo   |   Thursday, 04 July 2013

Farmers in Nay Pyi Taw are snubbing the Tatmadaw's offer to return about 280 acres of confiscated land because they fear becoming tenant farmers of the military.

The 280 acres is a larger 5000-acre plot in Lewe township's Thapyay Pin village that infantry regiments 413 and 414 formally confiscated in 2004 but had occupied the land since 1990, residents said.

The decision to return the 280 acres – less than 6 percent of the total amount seized – was made following a meeting of the commander-in-chief, quartermaster-general and parliamentary land dispute investigation team on June 28, at which the military agreed to hand back land it had confiscated but was not using.

However, U Kyaw Swe Latt, a member of an activist group involved in farmer and worker issues in Nay Pyi Taw, said farmers were put off by the military asking them to submit applications to cultivate the land.

"They asked the farmers to put in an application [to cultivate the land] so it's not different from before. This is just a way to control cultivation – the farmers will not own the land anymore," U Kyaw Swe Latt said.

He said the fields returned to farmers were of poor quality. The two infantry regiments had used 50 of the 280 acres to grow paddy and other crops in 2012 but had lost money.

"The returned farmland is inconvenient to grow paddy because there is no reliable water supply," U Kyaw Swe Latt said.

However, farmers will not be able to cultivate any of the land until they have submitted an application to the military, said U Myint Maung, who lost 7 acres.

"The military gave us a letter late last month that stated, 'Do not enter the farmlands at all.' They informed us again verbally that those who wanted to cultivate the land needed to submit an application," he said.

"But the farmers don't want to [submit an application] because they think it will only advantage [the military]. So far, no one has started applying."

Ko Htain Lin from nearby Nyaung Mote Sate village, who lost 20 acres to the military, said farmers were concerned about whether they would be able to start cultivating in time to plant a monsoon paddy crop.

A commissioned officer from No 414 battalion said he regretted taking the villagers' land.

"Really, we didn`t want to do that but it was the directive of our commander," he said.
– Translated by Zar Zar Soe

Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2013/07/04/farmers-reject-military-offer-of-land-return/