Arakan authorities move to seize Rohingya farmland in Myanmar
Rohingya families in western Myanmar say proposed land takeover by Arakan authorities threatens livelihoods of hundreds
YANGON, Myanmar (MNTV) — Rohingya residents in western Myanmar say they are facing the loss of nearly 196 acres of farmland after authorities linked to the militant outfit Arakan Army moved to acquire the land for industrial development projects.
According to Rohingya Khobor, an independent Rohingya-focused news outlet, residents in Kyauktaw Township in Myanmar’s Rakhine State said the United League of Arakan (ULA) — political wing of the Arakan Army, a Rakhine insurgent group — informed dozens of Rohingya farmers that land from two agricultural plots would be taken for planned factory and workshop projects.
Residents from Taung Htauk Muslim village said farming has sustained their community for generations, with more than 500 villagers depending on the land for food and income.
Villagers said 96 Rohingya farmers were summoned to a meeting on March 26 at a nearby school, where ULA officials reportedly announced plans to acquire farmland from Plot No. 730 and Plot No. 729. Farmers were allegedly offered compensation of 4 million kyats per acre and instructed to decide within seven days.
Many residents rejected the proposal, accusing authorities of disproportionately targeting Rohingya-owned land while leaving nearby farmland belonging to other communities untouched.
“These lands are our only means to survive,” one farmer told Rohingya Khobor. “If we lose them, our families will have nothing left.”
Another farmer said the compensation being offered was significantly below the land’s actual market value and described the process as coercive.
“People feel they are being forced to give up their land,” he said.
Residents said farmers later submitted a complaint letter to the ULA’s central office in April but had not received any response.
Tensions reportedly escalated after several farmers publicly questioned the land acquisition process. Local residents alleged that 10 Rohingya farmers were later detained by members of the Arakan Army and ULA for around 72 hours.
“They were punished simply for asking questions,” one resident said. “People are now living in fear.”
The allegations come as the Rohingya community in Myanmar continues to face severe restrictions, displacement and insecurity years after genocide in 2017 that forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh.
While the Arakan Army has expanded territorial control across large parts of Rakhine State amid Myanmar’s ongoing civil war, Rohingya groups and rights advocates have increasingly raised concerns about discrimination, arbitrary detention and land-related abuses under local authorities.
Residents warned that losing the farmland could push hundreds of Rohingya families deeper into poverty in an area where access to jobs, movement and basic services already remains heavily restricted.
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