Eleven | 12 August 2014
Union of farmers and agriculture workers made a statement
Concerning the land grabbing issues, Union of farmers and agriculture workers made a statement on August 11 at the Myanmar Journalist Congress Office in Yangon.
The present land grabbing problems arisen due to cheating of current laws according to the Union.
Therefore, present laws on ownership of land need to be reflected in order to avoid these kinds of problems and long term interest of farmers and the Nation. In the present laws on lands, new laws that can guarantee the farmers need to be prescribed.
“The land grabbing problems occurred because the lands were not seized according to rules of law. The farmlands were grabbed not abiding the 1894 land grabbing act. When the lands are reclaimed now, there were disputes erupted. The 2012 farmland law favours the owners of most land owners like businessmen rather than small scale farmers. In the future, there won’t be any land for farmers,” said Secretary Win Shein Myat of Union of farmers and agriculture workers.
In the statement, it is stated that land grabbing problems will affect the interest of farmers and the nation as they take long time to solve. The Union strictly denounced the forced land grabbing using improper influence, position and money. The Union also demands for the quick release of arrested farmers and land activists.
“Although there were protests and explaining of farmers in the entire Myanmar, there is still no satisfactory result. The formed farmland management committee didn’t work at the basic level. As they didn’t know what to do, they are unable to settle. Moreover, the farmers and the farmland activists were being arrested or threatened. We also denounced these actions,” continued Win Shein Myat.
Among the 470,000 acres of farmland, the President Thein Sein acknowledged to the parliament that only 350,000 won’t be given back as they need to use these lands.
Photo: Reuters
Union of farmers and agriculture workers made a statement
Concerning the land grabbing issues, Union of farmers and agriculture workers made a statement on August 11 at the Myanmar Journalist Congress Office in Yangon.
The present land grabbing problems arisen due to cheating of current laws according to the Union.
Therefore, present laws on ownership of land need to be reflected in order to avoid these kinds of problems and long term interest of farmers and the Nation. In the present laws on lands, new laws that can guarantee the farmers need to be prescribed.
“The land grabbing problems occurred because the lands were not seized according to rules of law. The farmlands were grabbed not abiding the 1894 land grabbing act. When the lands are reclaimed now, there were disputes erupted. The 2012 farmland law favours the owners of most land owners like businessmen rather than small scale farmers. In the future, there won’t be any land for farmers,” said Secretary Win Shein Myat of Union of farmers and agriculture workers.
In the statement, it is stated that land grabbing problems will affect the interest of farmers and the nation as they take long time to solve. The Union strictly denounced the forced land grabbing using improper influence, position and money. The Union also demands for the quick release of arrested farmers and land activists.
“Although there were protests and explaining of farmers in the entire Myanmar, there is still no satisfactory result. The formed farmland management committee didn’t work at the basic level. As they didn’t know what to do, they are unable to settle. Moreover, the farmers and the farmland activists were being arrested or threatened. We also denounced these actions,” continued Win Shein Myat.
Among the 470,000 acres of farmland, the President Thein Sein acknowledged to the parliament that only 350,000 won’t be given back as they need to use these lands.
