Independent Mon News Agency (IMNA)

BREAKING NEWS

July 9, 2003

Land Confiscation in Kawkareik Township, Karen State, after Maj. Gen. Maung Bo’s Visit

Today, with an objective to deploy a new military battalion in Kawkareik Township, Karen State, SPDC authorities measured some lands belonged to Mon farmers and confiscated as ‘army lands’, accordingly to the villagers from the area.

The land space, which is confiscated by SPDC authorities locates near Kaw-bein village and most farms are belonged to Mon farmers from Min-ywa and Pauk-kyuu-gone villages. It is also close to New Mon State Party’s a permanent ceasefire zone or its Thaton District administrative office.

The authorities ordered the villagers to bring bamboo because they needed to put fence for the land space that they needed, said by the source. The villagers nearby are ordered to cut bamboo and bring the requested amount of bamboo for the authorities. The villagers believed the land confiscation happened in their area soon after field visit made by a senior SPDC leader Maj. Gen. Maung Bo from Ministry of Defense.

According to a village to IMNA, he said, “This land confiscation happens after the visit of Maj. Gen. Maung Bo on July 4. He made a trip to monitor the Kawbein – Kyonedoe road construction, how many miles completed and how long is ruin (by flood). He also ordered to abandon the previous route of construction and found the new route again. To take the security of the new road construction, then he ordered the authorities to confiscate some lands to deploy a new military battalion. Therefore, they are measuring some lands for confiscation today”.

As the lands are still measuring, the villagers could not know how many acres of lands that the authorities will confiscate and whose lands will be confiscated.

The villagers from Min-ywa and Pauk-kyuu-gone currenly have serious concern for the potential loss of their lands.

SPDC’s Southeast Command also constructed a 15 miles long Kawbein-Kyonedoe road with forced labour since March. Some parts of its embankment has been collapsed by flood in June and early July.