Myanmar court will issue a ruling on a land rights case between 33 farmers and Tatmadaw linked Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC)

The Myanmar court will today hear and issue a ruling on a land rights case between 33 farmers and Tatmadaw-linked Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC). 

The hearing, which will take place at the Kyauktan township Court in Yangon, will determine whether the farmers, who live next to Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ), are illegally trespassing on those grounds.

According to the farmers, the 600-acre plot of land under question was taken over by the Ministry of Construction (MOC) in 1996 for K20,000 per acre.

However, the land was left vacant by the MOC. As such, the farmers continued farming paddy in the area. 

In 2002 though, the MEC began building a ship-breaking facility across 100 acres of the 600-acre plot. Nevertheless, the farmers continued their farming activities on the remaining 500 acres.  

Between 2004 and 2011, the farmers contributed paddy as payment for utilising the land to the MEC.  

However, in May 2014, the MEC prohibited the farmers from working the land. In July, the MEC sued the farmers for criminal trespass on the land. 

In 2015, one year after the charges were filed, the government took initiated steps under the formal legal process to acquire the land from the farmers. 

Two years later, in March 2017, the MEC agreed to compensate 10 out of the 33 farmers for 98 acres of the land.  

In January, the MEC agreed to compensate the farmers for an additional 39 acres of the land.

Despite this however, the charges have persisted and will be heard today by the Myanmar court. 

“We hope the court will make the right decision and allow us to farm on the land,” said U Zaw Tun, one of the farmers accused.

“We will comply with whatever the court decides according to the law,” said U Phone Lwin, an officer at MEC’s ship breaking factory.

(The Myanmar Times: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/court-rule-land-trespass-case-between-farmers-mec.html )

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