With only our voices (English)

‘With only our voices, what can we do?’
b. Other agricultural projects
In addition to rubber plantations, one case each of land confiscation for the purpose of
developing aloe, 279 teak, 280 bean, 281 betel nut, 282 coffee, 283 and cardamom plantations 284 were
also reported by KHRG researchers from December 2012 to January 2015. Two cases made
reference to dog fruit plantations, 285 while another did not specify the exact usage of the
farmland. 286
3. Land subtypes
When analysing reports from the field, KHRG found that a further distinction needed to be
made between privately held land that had been seized and communal or community based
land that had been confiscated. The distinction often had implications for the way in which
the land was taken and the impact that the loss of land would have on local communities.
a. Private land holdings
This sub-section considers cases in which land that was deemed the exclusive purview of
one individual or household, either according to local perspectives on land tenure and/or due
to the formal registration of their land by the Myanmar government or KNU, 287 was
confiscated for the purpose of commercial agricultural development. In 11 out of 21
agriculture-related confiscation cases the seized land had been privately-held by an
individual. 288 Cases of private land holdings being confiscated for the purpose of agricultural
projects were recorded in Thaton, 289 Nyaunglebin, 290 Mergui-Tavoy, 291 Toungoo, 292
Hpapun, 293 and Hpa-an districts. 294 Myanmar government representatives, 295 Karen BGFs, 296
and wealthy individuals 297 were the most common actors involved in the confiscation of
individuals’ land. The KNU/KNLA-PC was also implicated in two cases, 298 while the
Tatmadaw, 299 the KNLA, 300 and a private corporation 301 were considered responsible in one
instance each.
279 See source #18.
280 See source #86.
281 See source #40.
282 See source #36.
283 See source #88.
284 Ibid.
285 See sources #88 and #36.
286 See source #54.
287 For an instance in which government land titles were granted to villagers, see source #30; for cases in which
the KNU had begun to measure land in order to provide titles, see source #11 and #46.
288 See sources #42; #75; #23; #29; #88; #76; #54; #40; and #36.
289 See source #42.
290 See source #54; which includes two cases of individuals’ land being confiscated.
291 See source #23.
292 See source #88.
293 See sources #40 and #36.
294 See sources #75; #29; and #76 (which includes two such cases).
295 See sources #42; #88; #54 (which includes two such cases); and #40.
296 See sources #42; #29; #76; and #36.
297 See sources #42; #75; #23; and #54.
298 See sources #75 and #76.
299 See source #88.
300 See source #75.
301 See source #42.
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