'I Wish to Get Back My Land’: Mon IDP Report Interview #4

Burma Link | September 26, 2016

The following interview was conducted as part of the research for the joint report “Invisible Lives: The Untold Story of Displacement Cycle in Burma” by Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), Burma Link, and Burma Partnership, which was launched in a press conference in Rangoon on August 12th and in Moulmein on August 15th. The 65-page report focuses on the continuing concerns of the displaced ethnic nationality communities, particularly the ethnic Mon, living along Burma’s southeast border and finds that the recent reforms have not yet addressed the causes of their displacement.

Download the full report (PDF) in English

Donwload the full report (PDF) in Burmese

While Burma Partnership led the preliminary needs assessment and design for this research, Burma Link conducted all the interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) for this report in partnership with HURFOM, facilitated by Mon Relief and Development Committee (MRDC) and other local CBOs. The interviews and FGDs were conducted in four different IDP (internally displaced person) sites, Halockhani, Baleh Done Phaik, Chedeik, and Jo Haprao, in the NMSP (New Mon State Party) controlled ceasefire areas, as well as with farmers and villagers in and around Ye Township in government controlled areas of southeast Burma. Some interviewees in the government-controlled areas came from Yebyu Township in Tenasserim Region. Mon CSOs and political parties as well as the NMSP and NMSP-linked service providers were interviewed in Ye and in Moulmein in southeast Burma and in Sangkhlaburi in Thailand. One interview with a Mon CSO and one interview with an INGO were conducted via Skype. A total of 29 interviews and 5 FGDs were conducted in southeast Burma and along the border, in total with 60 interviewees. The research was conducted through qualitative interviews with open-ended questions, with the objective of understanding the feelings, perspectives and outlook of the interviewees who were encouraged to share any additional concerns and issues that they wanted to voice. All interviewees made an informed decision to take part and utmost care was taken to protect their identity – particularly the IDPs and villagers – who took part in this research, to ensure they are protected from possible direct threats and intimidation as a result of the interviews. See full methodology in the report.

The following interview is the fourth one in a series that HURFOM, Burma Link, and Burma Partnership have been publishing in recent weeks. This interview series is meant to give more in depth understanding into the situation of Mon IDPs and villagers. This interview is an edited version of the original and some information has been omitted to protect the identity of the interviewee. The interviewee gave an informed consent for publishing his interview as part of this series.

Background of the Interviewee
Location: Ye Township, Mon State
Age: Over 65 years
Gender: Male
Ethnicity and religion: Mon Buddhist

The interviewee is a Mon Buddhist grandfather who was interviewed in Ye Township, Mon State, in April 2016. 15 years ago he and his family were making a comfortable living, farming several thousands of rubber trees and different types of fruit. One day, however, the military arrived in their village and announced they had five years left to farm their land. A couple of years later, the military came again and threated to shoot them if they would not leave their farm by that night. Left with no choice, the family started to collect as much fruit as they could before the nightfall. On their way back from the farm, the man’s wife suffered a paralytic stroke. “We had a lot of difficulties to cure her as we didn’t have anything left and survived with my daughter’s small salary,” he explained. The only compensation the family had received was one the man was threatened to sign; 100 kyat (.08 USD) per acre, which did not even cover his travel expenses to go and sign the paper. This elderly villager continues to fight for justice, hoping that the NLD-led Government can give her family a new piece of land to farm. “If it would be possible for us to get land, our happiness would be immeasurable,” he says.

Q: How many people do you live with?

There are six people in my house. My wife is with me too, but she suffered from a paralytic stroke after the land issue, so she has to walk with crutches.

Q: Can you describe how did the health problem start with your wife?

A: My wife got it because of thinking and anxieties about the land. Some other people died.

[…]

Q: When did the land confiscation start in your village?

A: in 2001.

Q: Can you describe what happened in detail?

A: The first time they [military] arrived, they measured the land and talked to us very softly. But the second time was very rough. We grew crops in our plantation. They took it and didn’t allow us to harvest the crops.

Q: Who arrived?

A: At that time [the person] who came was the captain [rank unconfirmed]. The captain’s position was always changed every two years. He himself came. They said not to take the compensation of the land, they would let us harvest for 5 years. Within two- three years they took all of the area and drove us out of the areas. They just said that we could harvest for five years … . They didn’t let us live in the land. They took the fruits such as durian in the plantations and even the fruit in our hands, they took them from our hands. We always had to quarrel with them.

Q: Who were they?

A: … The military told us to collect our belongings on that day. If not [done] till that night, they would shoot us. Threatened, we were so afraid and tried to pick up fruit quickly, durian and so on as much as we could.

Q: How many people came?

A: Two with battle uniform. they just walked around and ordered us to collect our belongings. “I don’t want to see your face anymore,” they said. They ordered other land owners on that day the same way as us. […] After two-three years [from their first visit], when we had a chance to harvest our fruits, they expelled us.

[…] They set a red flag [on the lands] and said they took the lands. What could we do? They took our land. They hadn’t talked about the harvest yet, as they hadn’t started building their [military] buildings. 5-6 days later, they came again, and told us they took this area and will set up a building here. We cleared up our plantation during those days, and we asked to allow us to harvest our crops for a year. … . They didn’t allow us. They destroyed my plantation and built it [military building] there. After building, they called us for a meeting to announce that the government took over these lands. They told us that they wouldn’t give them back to us.

Q: The first time the military came to your village, how many people came?

A: Oh a lot. Around 50 soldiers. The whole column of a regiment.

[…]

Q: What was the reason that they gave to the villagers about why they took the land?

A: They said they need to defend for the border because these areas are close to Thailand. They were from the Burmese military with the Burmese badge. We know their hat- Bandula hat.

Q: Did you feel like you had any chance to challenge this situation when they took your land?

A: How could I challenge them? They are the military.

Q: Two-three years later when they came again, did they tell you personally that if you don’t leave, they will shoot? Or is that something you heard from someone else?

A: Yes, the commander sent two soldiers to tell us in person.

Q: Could you describe what happened when they came and told you that?

A: They said to leave immediately; it was a bad situation. They didn’t want to see our face here anymore. If not [done] by that night, they would shoot us.

Q: Where did that happen?

A: I was at my plantation, that was when I was picking durian.

Q: Were you with other people?

A: I was with my children who helped to pluck or carry the durian as I had a lot of durian trees.

[…]

Q: what did you do after the soldier came there?

A: We started collecting all the fruits in a hurry as much as we could. We had to carry all things from the plantation before they arrived. We carried the heavy things to the road, such as my rubber machine, then we took those with a cart. They didn’t allow us to enter the plantation anymore at night. That’s why; we had to carry and put [everything we carried] on the road out of the plantation.

Q: Did you also live on that land? Did you have a house on that land?

A: We have a house in the village, a hut in the plantation.

[…]

Q: When and who told you about the choice – compensation or working on the land?

A: They told us in June, 2001, the year that they started building temporary wood buildings, not brick buildings yet. […]

They gave 100 kyat (.08 USD) for one acre. Other people went to Ye and signed it [the contract to handover their land], but I didn’t sign it as I heard about the compensation being 100 kyat (.08 USD) for one acre. It was not even enough for the travel cost to Ye. Then they threatened me that I would be arrested and put in jail. [I thought] “I don’t care whether I will be arrested and imprisoned because my land already was taken, I don’t care anymore.”

Q: Who told you to take the compensation?

A: I heard from my villagers all about it and the village chairman told me that I was told that I would be in jail if I didn’t go and sign for the compensation agreement. He said the captains in Ye told him.

It was in MOD (Military Operations and Deployment). The office gave the compensation.

Q: When did this happen?

A: I was expelled from my plantation in 2004.

Q: Do you still have your house?

A: Yes, we have.

Q: How did you start making a living, after that?

A: I have a daughter who is a nurse, she alone provides for us with her salary. It’s difficult to stay alive, for the whole family. I have nothing anymore. If I didn’t have this daughter, how much in trouble would I be? I have to try to live with her salary of 150,000 kyat (125 USD) for a month, but how can it be enough for five to six family members to live on her salary?

Q: What did they do with your land?

A: They built a military unit. After they told us that they took over the area, they built a wooden building and two years later they started building the brick building. That was one year before they expelled us.

Q: Did they use all of the land [they took]?

A: They just used half, they destroyed my trees such as rubber plants, jackfruit, but my land is still left. Because they cut, used or sold the wood to make charcoal, the area has become a forest with a lot of bushes. This is all that is left now.

[…]

Q: Have you been back to your land?

A: I’ve never been back since I was expelled. I will get more suffering and be sad if I see how there is nothing left. Even if I was invited to visit, I don’t want to go there. They don’t let anyone go in.

Q: Have you tried to complain about this to anyone?

A: […] [Whenever] groups that work for the land issue arrived, we always tried to explain everything, even if dark at night, we would be there.

Q: Has anything changed as a result of talking to these groups?

A: I haven’t got any information back about that. […]

Q: What was the real value for your land?

A: For the current value, it’s worth of between 400 and 500 lakh [one lakh equals 100,000]. The price was 100 lakh [more than 8,000 USD] when they took it.

Q: How long did your wife’s family have this land before it was taken?

A: The land had been with my wife’s family for 60 years. We bought it from them.

Q: Could you describe more about what happened with your wife’s health?

A: She has been suffering for 11 years. On the way back home to the village from the plantation, and before arriving at the entrance of the village, she was dizzy and suffered from hypertension. When she arrived at home, she couldn’t step on the steps and lost consciousness and we called a doctor. Afterwards she couldn’t walk or stand up at all for over a year. Then we sent her to many hospitals to cure her. After being treated in Moulmein, she started getting better and was able to walk little by little with the help of crutches. She couldn’t move half of her body. We had a lot of difficulties to cure her as we didn’t have anything left and survived with my daughter’s small salary. We had to borrow money on interest from other people.

Q: How is she now?

A: Now she walks with crutches and walks around the house little by little.

Q: Does your family get any aid from anyone?

A: No, nothing from any one. Only from my daughter, a nurse.

Q: What would you like to happen about your land?

A: We can’t get back the land, so we want compensation to buy a new one. If I cannot work anymore, my children can continue it. We don’t have any evidence in our hands. If it would be possible for us to get land, our happiness would be immeasurable. In my mind I decided that I couldn’t get my land back as they built their military unit. I can console my mind if I can get compensation.

[…]

Q: How do you feel about the peace process and what do you hope for?

A: I hope to get back my land when our country is peaceful. Then it would be better if the military unit moved away from the area. […]

Q: How do you feel about the election result and the new NLD-led Government?

A: I believe it will be going well, towards peace.

Q: What is your major hope from the NLD-led Government?

A: I hope not to have war, [to have] peace in our country and become a developed country. In the past, we always had to run without good food or good sleep, so I hope to see changes and for it to be much better than before.

Q: Is there any message or recommendation that you would like to send to the government?

A: I couldn’t reach to give a message to the government. If I have chance to send a message, I wish to get back my land.

Q: How do you feel about your future and your family’s future prospects?

A: The whole family, my children, want the land back as they had worked in it and were sad [when we lost it]. One of my children was disappointed about them taking over our land, and left the village then. He told me that he had to leave because as a young person he could not control his mind. If not, he would fight with the soldiers. He’s now working in Malaysia.

Q: Did you ever consider leaving your village to go somewhere else?

A: […] I don’t have a place to move to. Where could I move in to a new place? To move in to downtown, I cannot afford to buy or build a house. I have to stay there [in the village] and will die there.

Download the full report (PDF) in English

Donwload the full report (PDF) in Burmese