Land owners from May Yu Housing to open protest camp unless they receive compensation by Dec

Land owners from May Yu Housing to open protest camp unless they receive compensation by Dec
Published 15 November 2018
Nay Myo Win

Original land owners from May Yu Housing Compound in Botahtaung Township, Yangon Region, where Sky Net Head Office is located, have claimed that they will open a protest camp before the regional government office if they do not receive land compensation by the end of December.

The protest plan was revealed when about 70 people staged a protest in front of the Department of Urban and Housing Development on November 14 demanding compensation for land pieces seized by the military including May Yu Housing.

"Under Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein, land compensation rates have been announced—K350,000 per feet square for main road, K250,000 for middle road and K150,000 for narrower road. We can accept if we receive at least K150,000. We need to seek coordination. We cannot accept what they want to do. We will continue our protest. After December, we will protest in front of the government office. We may even open a protest camp. This is our decision," said lead protestor Myint Aung.

They have staged 29 rounds of protest—20 under the Thein Sein government and 9 under the ruling National League for Democracy government.

In Wednesday's protest, the demonstrators demanded land compensation as quickly as possible as instructed by the President this year.

"A meeting took place at the YMCA hall, and it was also attended by parliamentary representatives. They told us they would pay compensation in September as they already had cash in hand. But they postponed it to December. Can't they (state and departmental leaders) keep their promise? Are they trying to bluff the people?" said Myint Aung.

According to the land owners from Botahtaung Township, the Quartermaster General's Office of the Defence Ministry officially rented their land from 1947 to 1964. Then, the office returned the land to the Department of Urban and Housing Development instead of the original land owners. The department then hired the land pieces to other departments such as the Cooperatives Department and Commerce Ministry. The land owners received land rentals till June in 1994. On June 30 in 1994, those land pieces were nationalized. In June 2016, the Department of Urban and Housing Development paid compensations to 277 land owners. But the remaining land owners have not received compensation yet. Likewise, land owners from Regiment-656 have not received their compensation. The issue has been submitted to Vice President Henry Van Thio, chairman of the Central Committee for Confiscated Farmlands and Other lands, and other relevant departments.