Gov't to arrange housing and employment for landless farmers

Gov't to arrange housing and employment for landless farmers

Published on Sunday, 23 February 2014 21:13

NAY PYI TAW—President's Office Minister Soe Thein has warned against careless handling of the landless farmers issue by regional authorities because it may lead to crisis in the future, state-owned TV channels reported on Friday evening (February 21).

The government will arrange housing and employment programmes for those landless people when respective township development plans are produced, the minister said during a meeting on the resettlement of landless people, held in Nay Pyi Taw on February 21.

"It is most important to prepare a systematic record, or accurate figures, of those who do not own any land. They will be resettled in places where they can earn a living by growing or farming. Only then will their standard of living improve," Soe Thein said.

He noted that it is dangerous in the long run if local authorities ignore or are reckless in their dealings with the landless people.

Minister Soe Thein also claimed that the incumbent government is people-centred and that there is no more land grabbing under their administration. Besides, the Ministry of Construction is also planning to develop major cities and townships for the people, he added.

However, the government is facing public criticism for the eviction of squatters from Thameekalay Village in Hlegu Township, the current situation of which ministers discussed during the Friday meeting.

In the beginning of this year, Yangon Region's government evicted the residents of Thameekalay Village in Hlegu Township, claiming that the land belongs to the military. Such forced evictions have also occurred in other places across the country.

On February 20, the Farmland Investigation Commission submitted a report to the parliament about 745 legal cases of land seizure, which involved a total of more than 500,000 acres of grabbed land. The parliament urged the government to solve these issues transparently before the beginning of the monsoons when farmers plant their crops.

Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2014/02/24/govt-to-arrange-housing-and-employment-for-landless-farmers/