Ignored by government, residents prepare for ‘full-time’ protest

Ignored by government, residents prepare for 'full-time' protest

By Noe Noe Aung   |   Sunday, 29 September 2013

Thingangyun township residents calling for the return of land taken from them by the military more than two decades ago say they plan to step up their campaign.

Hundreds of former Thingangyun township residents who were evicted in 1990-91 by the military say they plan to latunch "full-time" protests to highlight their appeal for the land to be returned. The residents have staged seven protests to date but say the government has failed to respond to their calls for a fair resolution. (Aung Htay Hlaing/The Myanmar Times)

More than 200 residents of Mee Gyaung Kan ward protested outside Sule Pagoda on September 23 over the confiscation.

"We protested seven times but there is no solution yet so we are planning to make a full-time protest [starting] this week," resident U Sein Than told The Myanmar Times on September 25.

"We are not sure we will get permission for a full-time protest but whatever happens we will continue. We know we can be arrested but we won't stop until we get a resolution."

The residents launched their campaign in January and have written more than 10 times to the Yangon Region government; Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's Rule of Law, Peace and Stability Committee; the land dispute investigation commission; Senior General Min Aung Hlaing; and President U Thein Sein.

"But the authorities have ignored us. Only the rule of law committee sent us a reply acknowledging they had received our letter," U Sein Than said.

In 1990-91, No 22 Light Infantry Division confiscated more than 100 acres from thousands of households, who were forcibly relocated to the outskirts of Yangon and Bago.

"At first we got an eviction notice that we were living on Ministry of Railways land. But most of the families lived on their ancestors' land and we had never heard it was owned by the ministry. Later we got an eviction notice from Yangon City Development Committee … This case has no clarity since the beginning," said resident U Kyaw Lwin.

A former resident of Mee Gyaung Kan ward protests on September 23. (Aung Htay Hlaing/The Myanmar Times)

The second notice gave them 15 days to move. Some residents were sent to Insein prison because they refused to leave, while the rest had to pay a K4800 relocation fee.

The fact the families had to pay for their new land meant it could not be considered compensation for their confiscated blocks, U Kyaw Lwin said.

"In 1990, K4800 was worth much more than it is today. Not every family could give that much money. Households who couldn't were sent to the outskirts of Bago, while people who gave the money got 1200 square feet of land in East Dagon and North Dagon townships."

After residents moved from their homes, the authorities put up signs that read, "This land is owned by military."

But rather than use the land for military purposes, it was rented out or developed.

"Some of the lands was rented for agriculture," said U Sein Than, "while some was used to build high-rise buildings."

Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2013/10/07/ignored-by-government-residents-prepare-for-full-time-protest/