Myanmar: Decades of Land Confiscations

The government of Myanmar should promptly provide redress for historic land confiscations. The government should also enact laws and regulations that will safeguard the rights of landholders and guard against future illegal confiscations of land.

Government and military officials have repeatedly seized vast swathes of territory from primarily rural farmers, offering them either nothing whatsoever or wholly inadequate compensation for their land, over the past 30 years. By doing so, they have stripped farmers of their ability to pursue their freely chosen livelihoods and eroded their ability to access basic services. Many farmers have routinely faced criminal prosecution for protesting the lack of redress and refusing to leave or cease work on their lands.