Govt body inspects land seizure cases
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The investigation commission comprising Lower House parliamentarians inspected land seizure cases in Tachileik township, Shan state, in northern Myanmar, on December 20.
At the township administration office, MPs met with the farmers who had lost their land and those who were involved in the cases.
“We lost about 20 acres of our farmlands to a bus terminal and government offices were constructed on them in 1999,” said one person who met with the commission members.
“Land was grabbed and divided into small plots in 1997 to establish an industrial project. However, it was not successful. Those who lost their land are now meeting with the investigation commission to get back their land,” said a resident in Tachileik township.
The commission consists of seven MPs, and most of them are from the constituencies of Shan state.
Parliament has formed another parliamentary investigation commission to look into land-grabbing cases involving former senior military personnel in Rakhine state.
The commission has conducted field investigation into land confiscation cases in Kyaunkphyu and Thandwe townships beginning December.
Myanmar’s land seizure problems mostly have been in Ayeyawady and Yangon Regions and most of the land fell into the hands of some giant companies. There were 176 complaints filed by farmers whose farmlands were grabbed in Ayeyawady Region.
