Junta collects money and confiscates farms for development project

May 24, 2007

HURFOM

The Burmese military junta has been forcibly collecting money and confiscating land from villagers of Kawkareik Township, Karen State for a township development project meant for the Karen splinter group led by Brigadier General Htain Maung (Htay Maung) which signed a peace deal with the regime.

About a hundred houses are envisaged in the township development project which is located in Naungbo village, Kawkareik Township west of Gyaing River.

“Five villages paid Kyat 5 million (over US $ 3974) to the Village Peace and Development Council (VPDC) for the project,” a villager who paid the money said. Kaw-been, Kaw-poke, and Kaw-paline village were included in the fund collection drive.

The villager said the order to collect the money came from the higher authorities. That money is meant for the expenditure incurred for construction of the houses.

Not only has the Burmese Army been collecting money for the construction, they have also seized farmland from farmers. The farmers are unhappy with the confiscation of their land but are unable to do anything about it. It is uncertain how many acres have been confiscated for the development project.

Villagers said about 10 houses have already been built on the site and the project requires a lot of timber to build houses for Brigadier General Htain Maung’ group.

Brigadier General Htain Maung’ group reached a peace agreement with the SPDC in February and the junta supported his group with over 100 tons of lumber, 100 acres of rubber trees, five tractors, and other equipment.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News