Farmers demand return of confiscated lands

Category: Uncategorised Published on Wednesday, 05 December 2012 21:46 Written by Thida Linn

Farmers of Magwe region, whose lands were confiscated for a petroleum products distribution firm 18 years ago, have demanded return of the 167-acre land.

The remains of old buildings seen on the confiscated lands in early January Photo – Aung Thu Nyein (Magway)/EMG

Farmers of Magwe region, whose lands were confiscated for a petroleum products distribution firm 18 years ago, have demanded return of the 167-acre land.

The 41 farmers made the demand during a meeting with the energy ministry officials on November 16.

The ministry took over the land in 1984 for the expansion project of Pahtanagon Myanma Petroleum Products Distribution. The project, however, was stopped in 1986 and infrastructures were removed by 1989. Some of the project staff started cultivating the land the next year.

In 1997, each of the affected farmers was allowed an acre of land to cultivate while the project staff continued cultivating the remaining land until 2011.

Now that the project staff have completely abandoned the land, the affected farmers asked the chairman of Farmland Management Committee on September 18 to return their land.

On November 16, Magwe District Administrator Nay Myo Aung and officials concerned offered the farmers to accept 104 acres of land, saying that buildings and roads occupy the rest of land.