Confiscation of 490 acres land for Burmese Army’s business

Independent Mon News Agency

September 14, 2004 (Thanpyuzayat, Mon State)

Commanders of No. 4 Military Training School under the command of Burmese Army’s South-East Command, in Thanbyuzayat Township are measuring 490 acres of rubber and orchid plantations belonged to the civilians in Wae-ka-li village in order to confiscate for their own business.

“On August 28, the battalion commander, Colonel Khin Maung Htay gathered the plantation owners with an intensive order and told the land owners about their land confiscation,” the villages told IMNA today. The lands are situating in the south of Thanbyuzayat town in Mon State.

“The soldiers started measuring the lands belonged to 20 villagers since the beginning of this month and till today,” the villagers said. According to villager closed to the soldiers, after the land confiscation, the Burmese Army planed to re-sell those pieces of lands to villagers and outsiders again.

“About 290 acres of lands are confiscated for the battalion commander alone and the remaining 200 acres of lands are to distribute to the low-ranks commanders or training officiers,” the villagers added.

“The lands that the commanders selected are growing with best quality and young rubber and orchid plantations,” the villagers added.

“Because of no payment during the confiscation and confiscation in order to re-sell them, the villagers are very angry and some villagers trying to ask New Mon State Party to resume fighting against the Burmese Army,” the villagers continued. New Mon State Party currently agrees for ceasefire with the regime and it could not prevent various cases of land confiscation in the past especially in Ye Township.

In the beginning of 2004, Burmese Army also confiscated more than 800 acres of farmland for army business and more than 600 acres of land for army base in this area.

Currently the Thanpyuzayat Township based a military battalion also planned to construct a new road from No. 4 Military Training School to a Mon village called Abit in Mudon Township, which is situating in the north of Thanbyuzayat Town. Accordingly to the plan, about 12 miles long motor-road will be constructed in eastern part of villages along Mudon-Thanbyuzayat motor road.

Besides the lands confiscated by No. 4 Military Training School, currently the Burmese Army also confiscated some lands in the proposed motor road and collect money from the land-owners those who lose the lands for road construction. The Burmese Army collected 30, 000 kyat per one acre of land, accordingly to IMNA source.

In 2004, the land confiscation by the Burmese Army in Thanbyuzayat Township without payment has grown. The lands in this Township has rich soil and it is so suitable to grow rubber and other orchild plantations. The Burmese Army’s process of land confiscation gradually moved up from the southern part of Mon State to the north.


A Burmese army based and it confiscated rubber plantation in Ye.

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