Over two dozen Sittwe farmers have rejected compensation offered for their confiscated farmland, demanding either payment at market value, or the restitution of their plots.

The land dispute dates back 25 years, when the farmers say their 160 acres in Set Yoe Kya Ward near the Rakhine State capital was illegally seized by government officials for an intended industrial zone.

As the zone failed to materialize, the farmers continued to plant crops on the disputed turf until March 2015, when they said fences were erected.

Last year, U Kyaw Lwin, Rakhine State’s minister for mining, agriculture and livestock, told the Irrawaddy that just before the end of former president U Thein Sein’s administration, he transferred the contested land, allotting the property for residential quarters.

The explanation was hardly satisfactory to the farmers, who continued to demand fair back pay for the land now occupied by buildings, and return of the vacant plots.

On May 15 this year, the farmers staged a protest in Sittwe, after which the Kyay Taw Village administrator summoned them to discuss the issue. The official reportedly offered the farmers K3 million per acre.

After mulling the proposal, the farmers declined the offered compensation, and staged another protest on June 9.

“We have seen that the state government has a good-will towards the farmers, but the market value of the land around the industrial zone in Set Yoe Kya Ward is around K150 million per acre,” said U Yan Myo Aung, a local farmer.

“We have been officially working on this farmland since the days of our great-grandparents. The land was seized in 1992-1993 to build an industrial zone,” he added. “We are happy if the government wants to build buildings and do business on the land to develop our country’s economy. But no industries have been established there and only houses are have been built.”

The farmers submitted a letter of appeal to Rakhine State Chief Minister U Nyi Pu on April 20. Farmers said they have been given verbal instructions to fence off any property they can prove their ownership of, but they said such a move has only escalated the disputes, in some cases leading to threats on their life.

“The government is unable to resolve the indirect sale of farmland that was seized for the industrial zone due to corruption,” U Yan Myo Aung added.

A total of 27 farmers have staked a claim over the contested parcel of 160 acres.