Land grabs rise in Myanmar’s ethnic Karen areas...

Areas inhabited by Myanmar's ethnic minority Karen people in the country’s southeast are seeing sharp rises in land confiscation and forced displacement due to mining, infrastructure and development projects that are going ahead with little or no public consultation, said a report by Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG).

Communities have not been notified of the projects, they are rarely or inadequately compensated and they lack opportunities to seek redress, leaving them without livelihoods and living in a degraded environment, said the report “Losing ground: Land conflicts and collective action in eastern Myanmar”.

Local corruption is another problem. “The abusers include local armed groups, government officials or companies with significant influence,” the report added.

Yet in a sign the impoverished Southeast Asian nation is opening up further, the number of land complaints to authorities also increased. Some villages are forming committees or organising protests in response to rights abuses, it said. Full story...

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