Border News Agency
Kyauktaw, August 26.

The Central Land Management Committee of the United League of Arakan (ULA) says it will legally reclaim land under government control when necessary for regional development and to improve the social and economic well-being of the public.

The committee says land may be reclaimed for long-term public projects such as roads, bridges, markets, schools, hospitals, parks, rural and urban housing, industrial zones, and security facilities.

For projects such as road expansion, the committee says it will clearly identify how much of the affected farmland will be designated as government project land before taking action.

The committee also says that people affected by land acquisition will receive resettlement, compensation, and relocation costs according to the law.

It has called on the public to cooperate and participate in the reconstruction of Arakan and land-related processes with confidence.

However, Border News Agency has received information about alleged land seizures in AA-controlled areas.

In Mrauk-U Township, near Paungtut village, the local administration is reportedly trying to acquire roadside land for an urban development project, allegedly under orders from AA Commander-in-Chief General Tun Myat Naing, using the 1894 Land Acquisition Act.

The landowners reportedly have not yet received compensation based on current market prices. They also say they have faced threats and pressure.

In Myebon Township, hundreds of acres of shrimp farms were reportedly forcibly seized and are being used as a base for armed group members. The seizure was allegedly led by U Aung Thar Win, head of the Department of Law Enforcement and Public Security (DLPS), who is reportedly an uncle of AA Commander-in-Chief General Tun Myat Naing.

The AA has taken control of 15 townships, including Paletwa, and is developing an administrative system under what it calls the Arakan People’s Revolutionary Government.

The ULA Central Land Management Committee in AA-controlled areas is chaired by Brigadier General Kyaw Han, with U Kyaw Zan as secretary. Former ANP National Assembly representative for Pauktaw Township U Tet Tun Aung, along with U Maung Oo Kyaw, U Tha Tun Shwe and others, serve as committee members.

However, local residents say that AA officers, including U Aung Thar Win and members of the AA central intelligence team, have also been involved in forced land seizures and land seizures that may constitute human rights violations.

Border News Agency has received information about many land disputes in AA-controlled areas, including cases involving forced land seizures based on verbal orders.

However, Border News Agency’s investigation found that very few of these cases have been effectively resolved by the ULA Central Land Management Committee.