Khin Tharaphy Oo — The Committee for Scrutinizing Confiscated Farmlands and Other Land will meet with relevant departments in order to conduct a field inspection of confiscated farmland near Set Yoe Kya village in Sittwe Township, Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation U Hla Kyaw told the Amyotha Hluttaw on May 18.

A total of about 142.5 acres of farmland previously owned by residents of Set Yoe Kya village and Kyaydaw village-tract were confiscated in 1993 for the construction of an industrial zone, but the 23 farmers dispossessed were not given any compensation for the land seized.

Regarding the confiscated farmland, Amyotha Hluttaw lawmaker U Khin Maung Latt told a parliamentary session that the former owners wanted their farmland returned, and were due compensation as well.

“The farmers hope for deserved compensation for their farmland, but successive township and villager administrators did not conduct a field inspection over the confiscated farmland,” U Khin Maung Latt said.

Authorities had failed to inspect the confiscated farmland because officials from the government and parliament, as well as wealthy people, were involved in the case, he added.

The committee decided on July 23, 2018, that the Arakan State government should pay compensation in the amount of K3 million (US$2,069) per acre of farmland, but farmers did not agree to accept it.

U Hla Tun Maung from Kyaydaw village, whose farmlands were confiscated, said farmers wanted compensation at the market price, or to have their farmland returned if the planned industrial zone was not built on the confiscated land.

“We’ve been informed of nothing so far. We demanded the return of our farmland where factories are not built, or to be given compensation at the current market price,” he said.

Some buildings have been constructed on portions of the seized farmlands, but in other places only fencing has been erected despite the lands purportedly being confiscated for an industrial zone more than 25 years ago.