Law maker asked about farmland to return to farmers

04 Aug 2019

Khin Tharaphy Oo | DMG

4 August, Sittwe

Pyithu Hluttaw representative U Oo Tun Win asked in the Pyithu Hluttaw parliament session on 2 August if the Tatamadaw has a plan to return farmland to farmers in Kyauktaw Township.

The MP wants the Tatmadaw to investigate farmland that’s not included in the permit to build a regiment facility. Farmers said farmland was not returned to them and soldiers are still doing cultivation on their land.

The Tatmadaw applied for over 340 acres of land at the foot of Mt. Kan Saung in 2008 to build No.377 Field Artillery Regiment.

U Oo Tun Win said that the state granted a permit on over 300 acres of vacant land, but he found that 47.95 acres of land that was contained in the Tatmadaw’s application did not include farmland local residents use to grow crops.

Maj-Gen Myint Nwe, deputy minister for Defence, said that the 47.95 acres of farmland was included in the appropriation grant for the construction of the Artillery Regiment, but that specific piece of property was excluded later.

“We explained to farmers on 3 April in 2013 that the farmland bordering the Tatmadaw’s land was not the military’s land, and we never use the farmland,” the deputy minister said.

He added that the Land Survey Department and General Administration Department has responsibility to resolve the complaint if soldiers really use the farmers’ land.