MPs from the National League for Democracy (NLD), legal experts on land laws, and activists on land issues, held a meeting at the local NLD office, Pauk Township, Magway Region, on 3 March to discuss matters relating to land confiscation and amendments to land laws.
Land law legal expert Aung Kyaw Kyaw told Mizzima, “Farmers and MPs met while parliament is adjourned to discuss making laws in parliament, forming a Peasants’ Union, making existing forest department directives on community owned land into law, and tackling the issue of land confiscation. We urged MPs to make these laws in parliament.”
This meeting was attended by Magway Region Legislative Assembly legislators Aung Than and Myint Myint San from NLD, Upper House NLD MP Kyaw Swe, land law legal expert Aung Kyaw Kyaw, political and land affairs activist Zaw Min Htaik and local farmers from 30 villages.
The attendees at the meeting said that in total there were 5.2 million acres (2.104 million hectares) of land confiscated in Myanmar while in Pauk Township, Magway Region alone, Defence Industry No. 24 (DI 24) had confiscated over 30,000 acres from farmers.