Access Denied: Land Rights and Ethnic Conflict in Burma - Burma Policy Briefing

ABSTRACT ORIGIN UNKNOWN: This report provides a recent update on land policies in the ethnic regions of Burma following the 2010 national elections and the beginning of the ceasefire with the Karen National Union in 2012. The authors argue that, while military conflict and associated abuses have declined, the Burmese government’s commitment to foreign investment and export-led economic growth is making traditional land tenure even less secure than before. The authors point out the importance of confronting the myths supporting land expropriation for industrial enterprises, and they also provide a rationale for supporting subsistence agriculture and indigenous land rights. Finally, while some scholars may advocate for the development of a private property land titling process to safeguard Karen people’s land rights, the authors of this report suggest that such action could make land tenure even less secure by reinforcing the idea that land rights are contingent on a piece of paper. Rather, the authors advocate for recognition of communal land rights under Karen customary law.

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