United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in Myanmar, South Korean university professor Yanghee Lee. Photo: Monirul Alam/EPA

A UN expert has expressed grave concerns about the implementation of a new land law in Myanmar, affecting a third of the country, and the disastrous implications for traditional farming communities in ethnic minority regions, Ekklesia reported.

Yanghee Lee, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar said the amended Vacant, Fallow and Virgin Lands Management Law fails to recognise shared land ownership practices, such as customary tenure, and land belonging to internally displaced people and refugees of conflict that has been left unattended.

The law, which came into effect on 11 March 2019, requires anyone occupying or using “vacant, fallow, or virgin” land to apply for a permit to use the land for 30 years or face eviction and up to two years in jail. She called on the Government to immediately suspend and review the law.