Myanmar: Burma Farmers at Risk of Losing Land under Legal Shift: Think Tank

Oct 31, 2014 | Thin Lei Lwin, Irrawaddy
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BANGKOK — Millions of small-scale farmers in Burma risk losing land under proposals to regulate land use which focus too much on investment and not enough on people’s livelihoods, a Netherlands-based non-profit think tank warned on Thursday.

The government this month unveiled its draft of a land use policy which will help form the basis of a national land law.

Land ownership and use have emerged as key issues during Myanmar’s political and economic transition, with deep resentment and protests over land acquisitions, often dubbed “land grabs”, for infrastructure, development or large-scale agricultural projects.

The draft policy, due to be completed by December and handed to parliament, was criticized in a report by Transnational Institute (TNI), an international think thank, for focusing on investment rather than on distribution or democratic control.