The Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) report, “Disputed Territory: Mon farmers’ fight against unjust land acquisition and barriers to their progress,” illustrates the struggles against past and on-going land disputes.
Drawing from almost 100 interviews conducted in Ye, Yebyu, and Kyaikmayaw townships, the report presents cases of land confiscation and abuse in Mon areas and elevates the voices of farmers who are actively pursuing justice.
The report primarily utilizes two case studies – farmers’ appeals against past military land confiscations in Ye Township and on-going misconduct by various investors in Kyaikmayaw Township – to analyze the legal and communal challenges inherent in Mon land disputes. According to the report, few victims of unjust land acquisition have had land returned, private investment continues to exploit farming families, and secure land rights remain largely absent from Burmese law.
“I want to provide a livelihood for my family,” said one of the report’s interviewees. “So when my plantation was confiscated I was like a person with broken legs.”