Govt's swift action sought for Michaungkan land dispute

MP Khaing Maung Yi, a member of the commission, said while visiting the Michaungkan protest camp on September 8 that a proposal was submitted to Parliament, seeking its special attention to the dispute, following the government’s slow actions.
 “The government has been slow in dealing with the first three parts of the commissions’ report. For the fourth part of the recommendation report, which won parliamentary approval, the government is obliged to take a swift action,” Khaing Maung Yi told reporters.
Residents of Michaungkan ward in Thingangyun Township, the eastern part of Yangon, began their protests last November, accusing the military of seizing farmland from them in 1990. They say they have all the necessary legal documents to prove they own the land and are demanding its return as well as compensation for losses. They took their protest to City Hall in March, setting up a camp outside it to demand a resolution to their dispute. On August 19, protest leader Sein Than was sentenced to a four-month jail term with hard labour.
According to the commissioner, the land in dispute had been vacant for 20 years. It was rented out to vegetable growers. The authorities’ order for them to move out sparked protests and the government has failed to deal with this problem, he said. The commission urged the government to relocate the 300 affected households to other townships and provide them with other kinds of assistance.
The commission’s report also contained the matters related to the eviction of Thameekalay villagers and land confiscation in seven villages in Thailawa.