Forced Relocation of 300 houses for a SPDC’s Police Station and Hospital

Independent Mon News Agency

July 27, 2004

Burma’s regime authorities from Ye Township Peace and Development Council (Ye TPDC) forcibly moved 300 houses in a Mon village in Mon State, Southern Burma, in order to build police station and hospital by force to build it police station and accordingly to the villagers.

“Ye TPDC not only forced us to move the house, they also confiscated eight acres of orchid plantation and ten acres of paddy-farms land in the Du-yar village in northern Ye township,” said Mr. Nai Mon Chan, the villager who closes to Ye TPDC.

“YE TPDC authorities ordered and set time to move even in this raining season and the TPDC’s Maternal and Child Welfare Association (MCWA) is collecting money instead the village PDC 1000 Kyat per household for the fund of these police station and hospital,” Mr. Chan explained.

MCWA is a hand-picked Government Organized Non-Government Organization (GONGO) of the regime, SPDC. It was formed after the regime ratified (Convention on Elimination of all Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), in order to protect the rights of women and children.

“According the village headman, he told us the government paid only 2 million Kyat (approximately 2000 US Dollar) for hospital project. It is not enough. It must need to spend more than 10 million Kyat (approximately 10, 000 US Dollar) for the project. That’s why, TPDC let MCWA collects money from the villagers,” said another villager Mr. Nai Ar Non.

“It is the government job. It is not villager’s job. The government is collecting money for these building and confiscated the land without compensation. It is not fair for the villagers,” Mr. Non added.

“After the government built a hospital and a police station, then it plans to build an army base near our village, which has more than 1, 500 household. The government plans to confiscate some more land too,” said Mr. Non.

“This is the Burmese military government’s militarization and development policy. The government confiscated land in Mon areas long time ago since after NMSP ceasefire and they are extending their troop deployment. Some lands are confiscated for the Burmese army businesses and self-reliance program, while some are used in their development projects,” analyzed by Mr. Nai Kasauh Mon, Director of Human Rights Foundation of Monland.

In Mon areas, even the Mon political armed group, New Mon State Party agreed for ceasefire to the regime since 1995, but the military government still commits forced relocation of Mon civilians and confiscated thousands acres of land from the Mon farmers without compensation.

According to Human Rights Foundation of Monland’s “No Land To Farm”, a comprehensive report on the land, real estate, and properties confiscation in Mon areas, it described the military government had confiscated more than 8000 acres land in Mon State during 1999-2002.

For further information, information villager voice contact to Independent Mon News Agency

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