By KO HTWE
Farmers in Hpakant Township in Burma's northern Kachin State complain that the Yuzana Company continues to seize and destroy their land without paying compensation.
Six hundred farmers were evicted from their land between 2006 and 2008 without full compensation and displaced to areas far from their original homes. Many complain that Yuzana continues to seize their new land.
The state granted 1,338 acres of the originally seized property to the Yuzana Company, which is reported to need the land for the cultivation of sugar cane and tapioca.
The seized land lies in the area of the Hugawng Valley, in the western part of Kachin State, near the Indian border and close to the Hugawng Valley Tiger Reserve.
A group of 148 farmers filed a lawsuit against the land seizure in August, but Yuzana persuaded them to drop the case in return for payments of 80,000 kyat ($80) per acre each to a maximum of 500 evicted farmers. However, many farmers are still waiting for the compensation.
A Myitkyina court rejected a lawsuit against the Yuzana company chairman, but said it would allow a case to be brought against the director of Yuzana, whose name was not revealed.
While the court proceedings drag on, the land seizures continue, complain the farmers. One complainant, Wineyawye, said he had visited the court sessions eight times so far and couldn't afford to attend any more. Other farmers say they also don't have the money to travel regularly to Myitkyina to attend the court proceedings.
One farmer, Andy, told The Irrawaddy that after taking seven acres of his land Yuzana destroyed a further tract he was cultivating.
“Half of my plantations have now been bulldozed,” he said. “I have trouble now making a living.”
Bauk Ja, leader of one farmers' group, said farmers would face greater problems in the future as Yuzana continued to seize their land.
Lamung Zen, who lost 50 acres, said Yuzana failed to inform farmers about the areas of land the company intended to seize.
Wineyawye said he was now reduced to taking odd jobs to support his family after Yuzana seized 13 acres of their land. “We have no grassland now for our cows,” he said.
The Yuzana company is owned by Htay Myint, who is on the US sanctions blacklist because of his close ties to the junta generals. He won his Tenasserim Division constituency for the regime-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party in last month's general election.
The Yuzana company was granted 200,000 acres in the Hugawng Valley Tiger Reserve in 2006 to establish tapioca and sugar cane plantation, according to a report by the Kachin Development Networking Group.
Farmers in Hpakant Township in Burma's northern Kachin State complain that the Yuzana Company continues to seize and destroy their land without paying compensation.
Six hundred farmers were evicted from their land between 2006 and 2008 without full compensation and displaced to areas far from their original homes. Many complain that Yuzana continues to seize their new land.
The state granted 1,338 acres of the originally seized property to the Yuzana Company, which is reported to need the land for the cultivation of sugar cane and tapioca.
The seized land lies in the area of the Hugawng Valley, in the western part of Kachin State, near the Indian border and close to the Hugawng Valley Tiger Reserve.
A group of 148 farmers filed a lawsuit against the land seizure in August, but Yuzana persuaded them to drop the case in return for payments of 80,000 kyat ($80) per acre each to a maximum of 500 evicted farmers. However, many farmers are still waiting for the compensation.
A Myitkyina court rejected a lawsuit against the Yuzana company chairman, but said it would allow a case to be brought against the director of Yuzana, whose name was not revealed.
While the court proceedings drag on, the land seizures continue, complain the farmers. One complainant, Wineyawye, said he had visited the court sessions eight times so far and couldn't afford to attend any more. Other farmers say they also don't have the money to travel regularly to Myitkyina to attend the court proceedings.
One farmer, Andy, told The Irrawaddy that after taking seven acres of his land Yuzana destroyed a further tract he was cultivating.
“Half of my plantations have now been bulldozed,” he said. “I have trouble now making a living.”
Bauk Ja, leader of one farmers' group, said farmers would face greater problems in the future as Yuzana continued to seize their land.
Lamung Zen, who lost 50 acres, said Yuzana failed to inform farmers about the areas of land the company intended to seize.
Wineyawye said he was now reduced to taking odd jobs to support his family after Yuzana seized 13 acres of their land. “We have no grassland now for our cows,” he said.
The Yuzana company is owned by Htay Myint, who is on the US sanctions blacklist because of his close ties to the junta generals. He won his Tenasserim Division constituency for the regime-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party in last month's general election.
The Yuzana company was granted 200,000 acres in the Hugawng Valley Tiger Reserve in 2006 to establish tapioca and sugar cane plantation, according to a report by the Kachin Development Networking Group.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Masha langai ngai a tingkyeng shinggyim ahkaw ahkang hpe hkra machyi shangun ai zawn re ai Gasi ,Ga hkum ni,Kyinsha Lasha re ai Gasi,Ga hkum ni hpe koi gam ga