The land was taken in 1990 and unused portions are being sold block by block by the Tatmadaw, locals say.
More than 200 farmers marched from a train station to city hall in Lashio on Friday morning, calling on the Burma Army to return land that they say it seized 30 years ago.
The Tatmadaw’s Battalion No. 3 took the farmland in Khur Ning and Khur Kham villages in 1990, but portions of the land remain unused, and villagers want it returned in accordance with the law.
“They seized many acres of farmland at that time—there were hundreds acres. They built a military camp on most of the area, so we could not get it back. We are asking for the return of remaining unused farmland. We want to grow crops there,” Sai Kham Kaw, a farmer who participated in the protest, told SHAN.
This unused area is around 100 acres, the villagers say, noting that the battalion has been marking portions of this land for sale.
“The villagers have repeatedly demanded the return of their farmland. They went to ask for it at the government office. They demanded it through parliament. But they didn’t get it,” Sai Harn, a Shan youth leader in Lashio, explained. “The Burma Army’s battalion is selling that farmland block by block. Villagers were asking for the return of the unused land but they ignored it. Therefore, the villagers protested and called for the return of their farmland.”
The military has not issued a response.
