Complaint Letter | Kyaukkyi Township, Nyaunglebin District (November 2015)

[From the] Shwegyin Karen Baptist Association Land Management Headquarters Committee

To:
Chairperson
[Burma/Myanmar government] Land Management Committee
Kyaukkyi Township, Bago Region                                                                 

Date: 5.11.2015

 Subject: Objection to the construction of buildings on missionary land.[2]  

1. Shwegyin Karen Baptist Association is a religious organisation that has existed for 55 years, from generation to generation.

2. Starting from 1960, because of the situation in the area, the Tatmadaw asked for permission to use the Shwegyin Karen Baptist Association’s missionary land, and gave it the name Byu Har Kone [military operation land]. There are historical records of the respectful gratitude given [to the Shwegyin Karen Baptist Association] by the operations commanders who used the missionary land, for their being granted permission to use it.

3. There are [recorded] examples that previous, successive [Burma/Myanmar] governments asked for permission to build public buildings that were necessary for the area on the missionary land, and the Missionary Association also allowed this, willingly. (For example: a high school, electricity department office, commercial warehouse, and township stadium [were built]).

4. Shwegyin Karen Baptist Association, Kyaukkyi [Town], has to do projects that are related to missionary work [with this land].

5. Currently, there are plans to build a Department of Rural Development building, commission offices, and construction of a Cooperative Department building has started.

6. For locating the lands, as well constructing the buildings, there were no prior discussions or negotiations with the Missionary Association, so we would like to request that the project’s construction stop, and state that we object to the construction.

Respectfully,

Sd.

Rev. Doctor Wah Wah Din
General Secretary
Shwegyin Karen Baptist Association

Shwegyin Karen Baptist Association Land Management Headquarter Committee:

Copy

-       Infantry Battalion [IB] #60 Operations Commander, Than Bo military base

-       Staff Officer, [Burma/Myanmar government] Township Land Records Department, Kyaukkyi Town

-       Staff Officer, [Burma/Myanmar government] Township Municipal Association, Kyaukkyi Town

-       Township Leader, KNU, Kyaukkyi Township

-       Officer in charge, KNU Liaison office, Kyaukkyi Town

-       Administrator, [Burma/Myanmar government] General Administration Department, Kyaukkyi Township

-       Office copy

The complaint letter above concerns the Burma/Myanmar government’s construction of buildings on the church compound in Kyaukkyi Township, Nyaunglebin District. The Shwegyin Karen Baptist Association also submitted a complaint letter to KHRG stating:  

“Regarding our church compound issue, we have been sending complaints to the relevant government departments and they only responded back to us after we sent the third complaint letter to Naypyidaw. Then they [Burma/Myanmar government officials in Naypyidaw] directed the Kyaukkyi Township government officials in charge to meet with us and find out more information relating to our land. After that, they [Kyaukkyi Township government officials] called a meeting with some members of the church committee and they were asking questions and taking notes. They said they need to report back to the [Burma/Myanmar] government immediately and they asked us to wait for a response. They [Kyaukkyi Township government officials] met with and questioned us in January 2015, and they submitted it [the meeting report] within the month. While we were waiting [for a response], we saw they started construction of the buildings.[4] Because of this, we went and tried to meet with the township general administrator, but he avoided us and didn’t meet with us. His junior staff told us that they had sent it [the meeting report] already, but no answer had come back to them yet.

For this reason, we have to strive to keep the land that we have left. They also said that our map [of the church compound] is not legal and we do not have a land grant [title]. In the Kyaukkyi area, because the Burma/Myanmar government marked the area as a black area,[5] people do not have land grants. But for them, when they enter the area they prepare all the necessary land grants for themselves.

Regarding this land issue, we sent copies [of the letter] to parties and organisations that we believe can take action and solve our problem, such as the USDP [Union Solidarity and Development Party], the NLD [National League for Democracy], the KPP [Karen People’s Party], the KNU [Karen National Union] and district and township officials many times, but we have not seen that any action has been taken. Now [as Christians] we pray, and we now know of the KHRG organisation, which we never heard of before, and which might be an opportunity and the arrangement [of God] for us. We fully believe that even though it is a small organisation, their voice and action might speak louder and better than other organisations that we think highly of.

Currently, we are writing complaint letters and at the same time we have started clearing the area of the compound that is left. On this land was once a [Burma/Myanmar government] army base, so we worry that unexploded ammunitions and landmines might have been left. We have to try and help each other with what we can do.”

Following the removal of the army base, the Shwegyin Karen Baptist Association have sent multiple letters requesting the church land be officially re-measured and recorded according to its original dimensions, in an attempt to prevent the land from being confiscated. In a letter that was submitted to Naypyidaw in 2012, the Shwegyin Karen Baptist Association made four requests to the Burma/Myanmar government to consider for them, including:

1. Rearrange the measure [officially re-measure and record] the Karen people’s Christian missionary land in Myit Ta section, as it was before [to its original measurements].

2. Clear all of the undetonated explosive devices from the area of the temporary army base that was granted temporary use of the land in the past.