ULA/AA justice department receives some 800 complaints concerning land disputes

By DMG 12 Aug 2022

DMG Newsroom
12 August 2022, Sittwe 

The justice department of the United League of Arakan (ULA), the political wing of the Arakan Army (AA), has received approximately 800 complaints regarding land disputes, according to ULA/AA spokesperson U Khaing Thukha. 

U Khaing Thukha said at a press conference on August 11 that these cases include farmland and housing land disputes, as well as cases that were not resolved under the previous National League for Democracy (NLD) government. 

“These are the complaints filed to ULA officials. Out of these cases, there are also related cases that have arisen due to disputes. We have been drafting a land policy with the land committee in order to solve the land disputes,” he added. 

Among the cases filed to the nascent ULA/AA court system, land disputes are the most common. 

U Khaing Thukha said the ULA/AA has already drafted policies and mandates to resolve housing land disputes, and the drafting is in the final stage. 

“ULA/AA is coping with land disputes that can be solved. There are some cases that are resolved easily, and some cases that take time to resolve,” he said at Thursday’s press conference. “There is also a delay in handling the cases due to the military tensions in Arakan State. The extent to which the cases are investigated is directly proportional to the military situation in Arakan State.” 

“We filed a complaint with the ULA/AA regarding encroachment on the property six months ago,” said a resident of Apaukwa village in Kyauktaw Township. “The ULA has not yet resolved the case I complained about.” 

In 2021, 1,846 crime reports and 1,992 civil complaints were filed with the judicial department of the ULA/AA, according to U Khaing Thukha. 

The ULA has so far resolved 1,025 of the criminal cases and 875 of the civil variety, he said on Thursday. The remainder are “being handled,” Khaing Thukha added.