Land grabbing occurs for the airport project to be built by the military council in Mon State, according to a report by a local organization.

The report said that the junta removed 18 houses in Nyaung Kone village in Mudon Township, and confiscated land to build an international airport, which would be a part of a larger land confiscation.

Villagers opposed the junta’s plan because it was unlikely to receive compensation for the confiscated land, the report said.

The Mon State Interim Coordination Committee (MSICC) urges the public to work together to combat injustice as the junta has been forcibly confiscating land for the airport project.

“It is known that an airport project will be built on 3,000 acres of land in Mudon Township. It could affect the Mon community living nearby. We need to cooperate to combat injustice,” the joint secretary of MSICC, Mi Suta Cho said.

The Military Council announced on December 10 last year that it had formed a Central Committee for Project Implementation, which is comprised of Union Ministers, to build an international airport and port near Mawlamyine.

 The junta already instructed the local authorities to work on land acquisition, access to electricity, construction of roads, and budget allocations.

The entrepreneurs said these plans by the military council are unlikely to materialize due to the current situation on the ground and the conutry’s political crisis.