Kyauktaw: The Burmese military authority has confiscated lands of farmers for a new railway route through Arakan State forcing some villagers to relocate to make way for the tracks, a villager from the region said.
"The army authorities have confiscated many fields, which are situated on the railway route and owned by local Arakanese farmers, without any compensation, to make way for the new route from Sittwe to Ann. Some villagers from Kyauktaw Township, have been ordered to relocate to other places to clear a path for the railway route," he said.
The villagers facing displacement are from Tharet Thaphin, Sapa Sit, Shwe Talay, Pyin Hla, Nyung Pin Hla, and Kung Duck. They are located near the temple of the great Mahamuni in Kyauktaw Township and have been ordered by the Burmese military authorities to relocate to other places in order to clear a path for construction of the railway route and station.
A rumour is also doing the rounds that the military authority is preparing to build an airport in the area and the villagers are being forced to relocate to make room for this.
The villager said, "I heard the authority will build an airport near Tharet Tapin Village and that Prime Minister General Thein Sein visited the area last month. However, the airport will be for military use, and not for tourists to visit the ancient sites."
The Burmese Army has been building up its capacity in Arakan State, since the beginning of this year. Battalions, including artillery battalions, were brought into Arakan State from Burma proper as reinforcements.
Many people believe the railway line is also being constructed for military purposes, because new railways are not necessary for local Arakanese people, at present due to the poor economy of the state.
A teacher from Sittwe said, "The construction of the railway route in Arakan State is good, but we need business development first. Without business development, railways will not be useful for the people."
Military authorities in many townships, including Sittwe, Ponna Kyunt, Kyauktaw, Mrauk U, and Minbya, that are situated along the railway route, have been confiscating farmlands and gardens for construction of the new railway route.
In Arakan State, there is currently just 16 miles of railway laid between Buthidaung and Maungdaw that was built during colonial rule, and has not been added to since the British left Burma in 1948.
The railway route between Sittwe, the capital of Arakan, and Ann, where the Western Command Headquarters is situated, will be the first railway constructed in Arakan, since independence from Britain. The railway will eventually be connected to the western Irrawaddy River in Burma proper.
