Military Returns Land It Seized in Rakhine State
Military Returns Land It Seized in Rakhine State
The Irrawaddy, 15 Oct 2018
URL: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/military-returns-land-seized-rakhine-state.html
NAYPYITAW—The Myanmar Army, also known as the Tatmadaw, has returned over 300 acres of land it previously confiscated on the grounds of the food security of Tatmadaw troops in Rakhine State’s Ann Township.
“The Tatmadaw has left 300.18 acres of land and handed it over to the government. The government gave temporary permits [for farming] to its original owners. So far, the Tatmadaw has returned over 500 acres of lands for which temporary permits were issued,” Ann Township lawmaker of Rakhine State Parliament U Khin Maung Htay told The Irrawaddy.
According to Myanmar’s farmland laws, when confiscated lands are returned, the original owners do not immediately get Form 7, which is the ownership certificate. Instead, they get Form 3, which is a temporary permit for farming. They get Form 7 only if they can present documents in support of their ownership.
The Tatmadaw’s handing back of land was marked by a ceremony held in Ann Township on Thursday which was attended by Vice-President Henry Van Thio, who is also the chairman of the Central Committee for Rescrutinizing Confiscated Farmlands and Other Lands, alongside permanent secretary of the defense ministry Brig-Gen Aung Kyaw Hoe.
Temporary farming permits for 300.18 acres of land were handed to 41 original owners. The lands had been confiscated by No. 373 Light Infantry Battalion of the Western Command.
The land cannot be used for farming immediately—embankments need to be repaired and farmland reestablished as the battalion used the land for breeding fish and prawns, said lawmaker U Khin Maung Htay.
“The Tatmadaw has left 300.18 acres of land and handed it over to the government. The government gave temporary permits [for farming] to its original owners. So far, the Tatmadaw has returned over 500 acres of lands for which temporary permits were issued,” Ann Township lawmaker of Rakhine State Parliament U Khin Maung Htay told The Irrawaddy.
According to Myanmar’s farmland laws, when confiscated lands are returned, the original owners do not immediately get Form 7, which is the ownership certificate. Instead, they get Form 3, which is a temporary permit for farming. They get Form 7 only if they can present documents in support of their ownership.
The Tatmadaw’s handing back of land was marked by a ceremony held in Ann Township on Thursday which was attended by Vice-President Henry Van Thio, who is also the chairman of the Central Committee for Rescrutinizing Confiscated Farmlands and Other Lands, alongside permanent secretary of the defense ministry Brig-Gen Aung Kyaw Hoe.
Temporary farming permits for 300.18 acres of land were handed to 41 original owners. The lands had been confiscated by No. 373 Light Infantry Battalion of the Western Command.
The land cannot be used for farming immediately—embankments need to be repaired and farmland reestablished as the battalion used the land for breeding fish and prawns, said lawmaker U Khin Maung Htay.