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Land tenure rights and food security for all farmers in Burma has been described by Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Tun Win as one of the top priorities of the National League for Democracy (NLD) government.
“Our government wishes to give back land to the rightful owners,” said Tun Win, referring to the smallholder farmers who still make up the bulk of Burma’s population. He was speaking to reporters from his office on Tuesday.
A legacy of land seizures by the former military government, in collaboration with crony companies, has in recent years been compounded by large-scale investments from neighboring countries, notably in extractive industries and energy production. Some of the more high-profile examples, such as the vast Letpadaung copper mine in Sagaing Division, operated jointly by Chinese company Wanbao and a Burmese military conglomerate, have been met by the sustained mobilization of dispossessed farmers claiming higher compensation or the return of their land. This has led, at times, to violent confrontations with the police...
