Burma’s ruling junta and a private company have confiscated thousands of acres of land from farmers in western Kachin State in the name of a new agricultural project, according to sources in the area.
Yuzana Co Ltd, owned by Burmese tycoon Htay Myint, has reportedly amassed hundreds of thousands of acres over the last few years in Hugaung Valley in Kachin State to implement what it calls “the development of wild lands into farmland.”
Yuzana has been granted ownership of the land by the junta, but sources in the area say that the land was taken from local residents with help from the Burmese army.
“They simply seized my farmland and my house, saying it extended beyond their project areas,” a resident of Naung Mi told The Irrawaddy by telephone on Friday.
He added that he and other farmers who lost their land received no compensation and have no way to lodge complaints, since the Burmese army was involved in the seizures.
“The company said my village headman would arrange for replacement land, but that has not happened and I’ve already lost my house,” the Naung Mi resident said. “Even the village headmen have no right to complain about the company’s abuse.”
An administrative staffer at Yuzana confirmed to The Irrawaddy on Friday that the company does own hundreds of thousands of acres for the purpose of agricultural projects but said Yuzana has not received any complaints from area residents.
“Yes, we have agricultural projects in that area in cooperation with the government, but I have not heard of any complaints,” the staffer said.
Local sources have reported that Yuzana now owns all land within ten miles of either side of the historic Ledo Road from Tanai Township to Naung Mi village—a stretch of about 45 miles—for the alleged purpose of converting fallow land to workable farmland.
Yuzana, founded in 1994, is known for its heavy investments in Rangoon’s residential and commercial property markets, as well as a growing interest in agricultural and fishery ventures across Burma.
The company is said to employ thousands of workers for their agricultural projects, while bulldozers and other heavy machinery have been used to clear land for the planting of paddy, sugar cane, rubber plants and cassava nuts.
Some area residents have also complained that company employees have slaughtered their cattle when they strayed into the company’s project areas.
Hugaung Valley was the scene of heavy fighting in the early 1990s between armed ethnic Kachin groups and the Burmese army.
The Ledo Road, a two-lane highway linking India and China that runs through the Hugaung Valley, was built during World War II. The local population is sparse and the ownership of land is loosely enforced, say residents, because the area is poorly administered by local officials.
