Factory owners say fake ‘squatters’ extorting them
The issue of illegal tenants and land compensation remains a major challenge for the Yangon Region government, and, in the absence of solutions, the matter has taken a new turn with factory owners now accusing farmers of trespassing and extortion. U Aye Thaung, chair of the Management Committee of Shwe Lin Pan Industrial Zone, says there has been a recent spate of complaints about farmers trespassing and demanding money from factory owners. “Farmers are squatting at factories and asking for money by force. Their action doesn’t look like asking for compensation for their lands – they act [dishonestly] and try to extort the [factory] owners,” he said. On January 27, a meeting was held at UMFCCI between factory owners, industrial zone managers and MPs.
