This chapter aims to overcome the gap existing between case study research, which typically provides qualitative and process based insights, and national or global inventories that typically offer spatially explicit and quantitative analysis of broader patterns, and thus to present adequate evidence for policymaking regarding largescale land acquisitions. Therefore, the chapter links spatial patterns of land acquisitions to underlying implementation processes of land allocation.

Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC)...
Text box extracted from "Access Denied -
Land Rights and Ethnic Conflict in Burma" by TNI/BCN,
May 2013 at http://www.burmalibrary.org/sites/burmalibrary.org/files/obl/docs15/TNI-...

Introduction: "The following report has been compiled to bring to the attention of a wider
audience many of the problems facing the people of Burma, especially its many
ethnic nationalities. For many outside observers, Burma’s problems are confined
simply to the ongoing incarceration of Nobel Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,
the country’s democratically elected leader, and many other political prisoners.
However, as we hope to show in the following report, this is only one of very

This Incident Report describes the confiscation of villagers’ land committed by Border Guard Force (BGF) Cantonment Area Commander Kya Aye, who oversees Battalion #1015 and Battalion #1016, and Cantonment Area Supervisor U Kyaw Hein on May 1st 2015. They then resold the land to the Steel Stone Group to be used for road construction and infrastructure development. The villagers reported the incident to the Karen National Union (KNU) requesting compensation for their land and calling for restrictions on the BGF commanders’ power.

A briefer on the Thilawa special economic zone....."Twice the Myanmar Government attempted to confiscate residential and farm land for
the Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ), and twice they failed to properly follow Myanmar
laws. In both the 1996/97 and 2013 attempts to confiscate lands, the government and
private parties ignored the procedures and requirements of Myanmar law, including the
Land Acquisition Act. The Myanmar Government failed to properly notify affected
communities or provide adequate compensation for relocation. Furthermore, the Thilawa

Villagers in Karen areas of southeast Myanmar continue to face widespread land confiscation at the hands of a multiplicity of actors. Much of this can be attributed to the rapid expansion of domestic and international commercial interest and investment in southeast Myanmar since the January 2012 preliminary ceasefire between the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Myanmar government. KHRG first documented this in a 2013 report entitled ‘Losing Ground’, which documented cases of land confiscation between January 2011 and November 2012.

Documents and analyses on land tenure in Burma/Myanmar.....
"1.Reconcile legality and legitimacy through clear legal recognition of existing
acknowledged rights, whatever their origin (customary or statutory) or nature
(individual or collective, temporary or permanent).
2.Initiate widespread debate on the choice of society that the land policies will
serve (and target), the opportunities for formalisation, how it will be implemented
and its possible alternatives.
3.Build consensus between all the actors concerned (central and local

In October 2013, the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) released
"Disputed Territory", a report documenting the emerging trend of Mon farmers fighting
for recognition of their land rights in the face of unjust land and property
confiscations. The report analyzed specific barriers impeding their success, from weak
land policy and inadequate dispute resolution mechanisms, to an absence of support
from various sources.
While "Disputed Territory" explored the broad spectrum of land right violations among

Shwe Pipeline Brings Land Confiscation, Militarization and Human Rights Violations to the Ta’ang People.
The Ta’ang Students and Youth Organization (TSYO) released a report today called “Pipeline Nightmare” that illustrates how the Shwe Gas and Oil Pipeline project, which will transport oil and gas across Burma to China, has resulted in the confiscation of people’s lands, forced labor, and increased military presence along the pipeline, affecting thousands of people.

Conclusion: "The Thilawa SEZ project is not clearly described and important information is missing
throughout the EIA document. The public consultation process did not involve all relevant
stakeholders, including affected communities, and did not provide sufficient information
in any case. Consequently, the consultation process did not meet international standards
and did not meet relevant JICA Guidelines. Had JICA provided adequate and appropriate
support for the EIA according to its Guidelines, it could have assured that the project

Conclusions: "Amnesty International’s latest research shows that hundreds of people close to the giant Letpadaung mine continue to face the risk of forced eviction from their farmland, and in the case of four villages, from their homes as well. In addition, thousands of people living in the area are at risk from Myanmar Wanbao’s inadequate management of environmental risk at the Letpadaung mine, which is situated in a flood and earthquake-prone area. The ESIA for the mine contains fundamental gaps and weaknesses, which Myanmar Wanbao has still not addressed.

... Karenni people celebrated three kinds of pole festivals in a year. The first one is called Tya-Ee-Lu-Boe-Plya. During this festival, the people went to their paddy fields, vegetable farms, picked the premature fruits and brought it to the Ee-Lu-pole. They put the premature fruits on altar, thank god and then pray for good fruits and good harvest. The second one called Tya-Ee-Lu-Phu-Seh. In this festival they pray god to bless the teenagers with good conducts, and good healths. The third one is Tya-Ee-Lu-Du. The festival concerned to everyone.