Life in Mon State

SAME OLD LINE: LAND OWNERS PROMISED COMPENSATION

(Kao Wao: November 3, 2003)

The Burmese Army promised they would compensate farmers for confiscated lands at a meeting held in Ye, southern Mon State.

The Military Operational Management Command (MOMC) No. 19 called a meeting with landowners who lost their lands to military deployment, the commander said they would compensate the farmers with some small amount of money.

The Thailand-Burma border based Independent Mon News Agency reported that the landowners were very upset when informed that the compensation from the junta is only Kyat 250 for one rubber tree (which of the current value is at 10,000 Kyat per tree).

After attending the meeting in Morkanin village of Ye Township on October 30, a landowner protested, "the compensation is so little and it's meaningless for us."

The BA confiscated thousands of acres of lands in Mon area from 1988 to 2003 for both military deployment and to build profit for the army battalions. The BA paid only a small pittance to local farmers in 2002 when they confiscated lands to clear the way for the construction of the Kanbauk-Myaingkalay gas pipeline.

Human Rights Foundation of Monland reported about 7780 acres of lands were confiscated and civilians lost about $1.5 million US worth of properties and real estate for military purpose in the Mon areas.