The Karen (Kayin) State authorities have been clearing up unauthorized buildings since July 17 on the land that has been released by the military in San Pa Ree Village Group, Hpa-an Township.
A total of 928.93 acres of land out of 1,128.39 acres of land, which has been released by the military, has been designated by the government as state-owned land.
The government ordered the relocation of the people that have been living and working on the land without its permission on June 30.
Ga Nyein, who has been living on the land, told the KIC News that the state government used force to demolish the temporary homes of some local residents.
“Nobody could do anything when the military seized my ancestral land. After they released it because they couldn’t work on it, nobody stopped us when we cleared our ancestral land. The KNU (Karen National Union) allocated land plots to us. Now, the government said they won’t give it to us. What should we do? I believe the KNU will resolve it for us,” she told KIC News.
The KNU Hti Lon Township chair Padoh Saw Thar Din told KIC News that the KNU has allocated over 200 acres of orchard land on the land, which was being cleared on July 17, by giving 60 by 120 foot plot per family in 2017.
“After the military released the land because they couldn’t work on it, the land became vacant land so we allocated plots for the public. The KNU issued land documents to them. We have submitted this [issue] to the KNU Central, and JMC-U (Union-level Joint Monitoring Committee). We heard that the state government will scrutinize and re-allocate the land. I didn’t hear it officially. Since we have submitted this issue to the central, we are waiting for its response,” he told KIC News.
The Hpa-an District General Administrative Department ordered the illegal occupants to relocate from the land within 14 days in accordance with Section 21 (1) of the Lower Myanmar Town And Village Lands Act.
