Myanmar

Asian Human Rights Commission says the frenzy of land grabbing in Burma amid the country's transition to nominally democratic government shows no signs of abating.

The First Congress of the Agriculture and Farmers’ Federation of Myanmar denounced the serious threat to the livelihoods of small farmers and agricultural workers caused by land grabs.

Myanmar's swift economic development has been marked by the rise of a new class of political dissidents: the ploughing protesters.

Real estate developer Yoma Strategic Holdings is ramping up its push into Myanmar, including in agriculture where it has formed a holding in which the World Bank's IFC holds 20%.

“Crony companies” with extreme wealth and political leverage have become the new driver of land grabs in different parts of Burma, often financially backed by foreign investors.

Rising tension over land seizures is emerging as a critical issue in Asia. An RFA special report examines the changing dynamic of Asia’s Great Land Grab.

The UK’s business ambassador for agriculture and CEO of large-scale agriculture firm Velcourt Group, James Townshend, met with Burmese government officials and toured agricultural projects in the country.

“We’ve found that they [the government] does not want to give back land to the people because they know the land has a lot of value and will be good to sell in the future.”

La cuestión clave para algunos recién llegados al mundo de los negocios de Birmania parece ser el acceso a la tierra.

Protester Tun Lin Aung said about 200 farmers from his village in the Irrawaddy Delta region were in prison for trespassing due to land disputes.

Hier, des milliers de personnes ont manifesté à Rangoon pour réclamer l’abolition des lois répressives, notamment celle qui permet au pouvoir d’arrêter des activistes qui s’intéressent à des sujets sensibles comme les droits fonciers.

Myanmar officials have proposed to Bangladesh to invest in agriculture in their country as it has a lot of arable lands for this purpose. The Myanmar government also said they were ready to give long-term lease of land to Bangladeshi entrepreneurs for agricultural purposes from which both the countries would benefit.