Farmland seized in Shan State from villagers

Loi Kung village in northern shan state

A headmaster at an elementary school in north western Shan State has been accused of seizing land belonging to local residents after improperly deeming their land vacant. The alleged land seizures took place in Loi Kung village of Pan Kai village group in Kutkai Township.


Since 1992, the Burmese government has been resettling Kachin, Palaung, and Chinese people in Pan Kai village group besides the Union Highway.

Some of the local residents left to work in their old villages. Some residents also left the village due to the ongoing fighting going on in the area, explained Sara num Doi Ling, a local teacher.
U Min Aung, headmaster at Pan Kai village's elementary school has started planting corn on land in the village since 2014 without consulting the village elders and despite objections from local residents, the teacher said.

When the original residents who had left returned, the village elders attempted to negotiate with the headmaster but they were unable to reach an agreement. The headmaster also filed trespassing charges against the land owners for working on their own land.