Myanmar: Myanmar’s Farmers Fighting a Losing Battle

Apr 4, 2019 | ASEAN Post
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When the National League of Defence (NLD) won the general elections in 2015, paving the way for Myanmar’s first non-military president in over half a century, many farmers sensed a renewed hope for the nation. In fact, Aung San Suu Kyi’s pledge to tackle the issue of land grabbing and to protect farmers in the country was one of the reasons for her victory. However, the Myanmar government has done the opposite. Last September they amended the Vacant, Fallow and Virgin (VFV) Lands Management Law by imposing a two-year sentence on anyone found living on “vacant, fallow, and virgin land" without a permit after 11 March.