Mrauk U: The local forestry department has sold the land owned by the Thazintan Monastery that is situated near to the Htamarate village in Mrauk U Township in western Burma’s Arakan State to a private businessman, after confiscating it for a proposed project of reforestation using perennial trees.
A villager said that about 2.5 acres of the monastery land was confiscated by the department for its project in 2005, but the director of the project has now sold the land after being registered it in his name to a local businessman.
“At first we villagers thought that the lands were confiscated just for reforestation. So we did not raise any objections to the department. Now we have come to know that the project director U Soe Naing has registered the lands under his name and already sold the title to local businessman U Maung San Tint for a price of Kyat 30 Lakh”, said the villager.
He said that the lands were planted with rubber plantations and sold on by the project director because he had to move from soon due to position reshuffle.
“We have lodged complaint with the authorities, including the Archeology Departmen, against the director for selling the religious lands. but no action has taken yet by the authority. Now we hear that U Soe Naing is claiming that the lands are the property of the project and should not be a concern of the villagers."
