Two homes were demolished in Mandalay region’s Pyin Oo Lwin township last Thursday as an army battalion based in the area moved in to seize land from local farmers.
Around 100 policemen and 150 men assumed to be soldiers destroyed the two houses, located between the villages of Wah Nat and Kywal Na Phar, before fencing in the surrounding land, the homeowners said.
“We told them to come with proof of ownership from the military. But Col Aung Naing Htay said this wasn’t our land and that it was theirs,” 50-year-old Khin Mar Aye told Myanmar Now.
“They beat us with sticks. Col Aung Naing Htay even wrestled with a woman,” she added.
Seven people had been living in the two homes, which were on a 132.8-acre plot of land that they had been using to farm peas, corn and sesame since 2011.
“Can’t we live and work on the state’s property? Isn’t it the military’s duty to protect the public’s wellbeing and homes? Or is it to harm us?” said Tin Mya, whose home was also demolished.
The land was seized from the farmers because it belongs to the military, Capt Zaw Win Naing, from Logistics and Supply Battalion 121, told Myanmar Now.
“It’s owned by Construction and Engineering Battalion 951, with the plan to build a military-run cement factory. Later we’re going to run a marble factory and a dairy farm,” he said.
This is the second time in the past two years that the military has seized land in the area. In April 2019, a 173-acre plot in the nearby village of Wah Nat was fenced in for a dairy-farm project, resulting in another clash with farmers.
Ten farmers involved in that confrontation are currently awaiting trial on three charges, including disruption of duty, at the Pyin Oo Lwin township court.
Khing Maung Myint, a member of the Patheingyi township land management committee, said the military should not have confiscated the land during the Covid-19 crisis.
“The military says they own it. But the farmers have been working on these lands for a long time now. This is why they clashed,” he said.
Si Thu, a lawyer who has been aiding the farmers, questioned what would be done against the military for violating Covid-19 prevention measures.
“They did this using a lot of manpower. This is a violation of the Covid-19 restrictions and a very irresponsible act. Which organization will take the responsibility to sue them?” he asked.
About 60 farmers from Nyaung Wun, a village in Pyin Oo Lwin district’s Singu township, are also facing charges laid against them by Battalion 121 for invasion of property.
