The Burmese Army has confiscated thousands of acres of land held privately in Kyauktaw Township in Arakan State to set up an artillery battalion in the area, said a farmer.

"Land confiscation by the Burmese Army is still continuing in our state. Recently a large stretch of locally-owned land was confiscated by the army authorities for Artillery Battalion 377 in the area," he said.

The army has been constructing a site for Artillery Battalion 377 near Kan Zouk Village in southern Kyauktaw Township, and has confiscated a lot of land, including farmland and orchards.

"I heard the land is not only for the battalion but also for other purposes, including construction of a new village where Burman people brought from Burma proper will be settled," he added.

A local source said the army authorities confiscated over 10,000 acres from several villages located between Kan Zouk Village and Zani Daung Village in southern Kyauktaw Township for the artillery battalion base.

"Farmers from many villages in our area lost their farms to confiscation by the army. As far as I know, the farmers are from Kan Zouk, Pa Long Chaung, Kwa Son, Pring Chaung, Wai Gyi Hton, Pting Daw, Zani Daung, Let Puchay, and Taungbuzar Villages," the farmer said.

Before seizing the land, the army authorities forced farmers to sign an agreement stating they were willingly handing over their land to the army.

"The army pressurized us to sign the agreement. If we refused, our village as well as our houses would be relocated to a remote area. So every farmer signed the agreement to transfer their land to the army because they are afraid of their homes and villages being shifted from the area," he added.

In Arakan State, there were only three battalions in 1988, but now there are 60 battalions. The army confiscated many lands from Arakanese farmers for its battalions. An estimated two-thirds of land traditionally owned by Arakanese people has been confiscated by the Burmese Army since 1988.