Uncertainty stalks the future of Arakanese families living on Madae Island in Kyaukpru District in Arakan State after the military authorities began confiscating their land and relocating their homes to make way for a gas pipeline.
"Our situation on the island is now very bad. Many of our lands were confiscated by authorities to construct a gas pipeline. At the same time, many houses in our village were destroyed by bulldozers for construction of some buildings and oil tanks. Some families are now living in makeshift huts after they lost their homes," a village elder said.
Madae Island is located ten miles south of Kyaukpru and is the main staging territory for a gas pipeline that will connect to Yunnan Province in China.
On the island, there are 12 Arakanese villages that are mostly small and poor. However, four of the villages are larger in size, with over 100 households. Those are Prin, Wra Ma, Kyauk Tan and Madi Chaung.
The Burmese Army recently gathered some villagers form Wra Ma, Prin after their homes were destroyed for the gas pipeline project. Because of this some villagers are now living in temporary makeshift huts that were built by Asia World, which belongs to the son of a drug lord, Tun Myint Naing.
“We did not know where to move after our homes were destroyed. The authorities told us we have to live in places where they place us. We are afraid to move from the island to another island or to the mainland in Ann Township,” he said.
The village chairmen and township authorities are into land confiscation and relocation on the island with help of some officials from Asia World.
The authorities have demolished and dug up many farmlands in Prin and Wra Ma villages with bulldozers to build pipelines and buildings.
Many villagers lost their lands for construction of the gas pipeline, including some villagers from Wra Ma village, namely U Hla Thien who lost three acres, U Maung Shwe Tha who lost two acres, Hla Khaing Win who lost one acre, Maung San Win who lost two acres, and U Kyi who lost one acre.
Some people from Prin villages lost lands and they are U Khin Maung who lost one acre, Win Kyaw Khaing who lost one acre, Hla Kyaw Thaung who lost two acres and Nyo San Win who lost two acres.
“The authorities told us they would provide compensation to us for our lands at the prevailing local price but we have not yet received it. They will use some money in relocation of villagers. I heard the authorities do not want to allow the public to live on the Island. They plan to move the villagers from the island to another island and some places in mainland Arakan state,” he said.
It was learnt that the authorities have surveyed the island and if necessary, they will relocate many families to other places.
