37<strong>Myanmar</strong> <strong>at</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>HLP</strong> <strong>Crossroads</strong>Under <strong>the</strong> Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law (1993) a Central Body for <strong>the</strong> Prevention of<strong>the</strong> Danger of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances is given responsibilities to, as necessary, seize asexhibits immoveable property involved in an offence under this Law as well as money, property and benefitsderived from <strong>the</strong> transfer and conversion of property involved in <strong>the</strong> offence.The Development Committees Act (1993) provides th<strong>at</strong> <strong>the</strong> Ministry of Home Affairs may form fur<strong>the</strong>r “DevelopmentCommittees” in addition to <strong>the</strong> development committees for Yangon and Mandalay. Such Committeesare empowered to order <strong>the</strong> demolition of squ<strong>at</strong>ter buildings. The Child Law (1993) was enacted to, inter alia,implement <strong>the</strong> provisions of <strong>the</strong> Convention on <strong>the</strong> Rights of <strong>the</strong> Child. The Act provides th<strong>at</strong> every child had <strong>the</strong>right to citizenship; every child has <strong>the</strong> right of inheritance and every child has <strong>the</strong> right of possessing and holdingproperty. The Development of Border Areas and N<strong>at</strong>ional Races Law (1993) aims to “develop economic, socialworks and road and communic<strong>at</strong>ions of <strong>the</strong> n<strong>at</strong>ional races <strong>at</strong> <strong>the</strong> border areas...in accordance with <strong>the</strong> aims ofnon-disintegr<strong>at</strong>ion of <strong>the</strong> Union”. The Act cre<strong>at</strong>es a Central Committee for <strong>the</strong> Implement<strong>at</strong>ion of <strong>the</strong> Developmentof <strong>the</strong> Border Areas and N<strong>at</strong>ional Races Law and provides for <strong>the</strong> relevant responsibilities of <strong>the</strong> Committee,including, providing guidance and policy for development and works in <strong>the</strong>se areas. And finally, <strong>the</strong> <strong>Myanmar</strong> MinesLaw (1994) makes provision for <strong>the</strong> acquisition of land for mineral production.Photo, <strong>Displacement</strong> <strong>Solutions</strong>,June 2012
<strong>Myanmar</strong> <strong>at</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>HLP</strong> <strong>Crossroads</strong> 38The St<strong>at</strong>e Peace and Development Council: 1997-2011On 15 November, 1997 <strong>the</strong> SLORC was abolished and reconstituted as <strong>the</strong> St<strong>at</strong>e Peace and DevelopmentCouncil (SPDC). Most but not all members of <strong>the</strong> abolished SLORC were in <strong>the</strong> SPDC. In 1998, <strong>the</strong> SPDCintroduced <strong>the</strong> Protection and Preserv<strong>at</strong>ion of Cultural Heritage Regions Law which enabled <strong>the</strong> Ministry ofCulture, with <strong>the</strong> approval of <strong>the</strong> government, to design<strong>at</strong>e and demarc<strong>at</strong>e areas as ancient monumental zones.The Ministry may also dismantle a building (which is not an ancient monument) and which obstructs <strong>the</strong> view ofan ancient monument. The Ministry can also prohibit ploughing and cultiv<strong>at</strong>ion with <strong>the</strong> boundary of an ancientmonument or site and prohibit building within <strong>the</strong> same areas.The Highways Law (2000) provides for <strong>the</strong> duties and powers of <strong>the</strong> Ministry of Construction, including, scrutinizingand permitting construction across highways, as well as construction and building within <strong>the</strong> boundary ofhighways. Under <strong>the</strong> Act it is an offence to build on or within <strong>the</strong> boundary of a highway. The City of MandalayDevelopment Law (2002) cre<strong>at</strong>ed a “City of Mandalay Development Committee”. The responsibilities of <strong>the</strong>Committee include: constructing, maintaining and demolishing buildings and demolishing and resettlement ofsqu<strong>at</strong>ter houses, squ<strong>at</strong>ter buildings and squ<strong>at</strong>ter wards. Finally, Order No. 3 (2007) confers certain powers on<strong>the</strong> Nay Pwi Taw Development Committee similar to those exercised by <strong>the</strong> City of Yangon and City of MandalayDevelopment Committees.Beyond <strong>the</strong>se measures, both <strong>the</strong> SLORC and SPDC used <strong>the</strong> <strong>HLP</strong> sectors as a means of simultaneouslyentrenching political power and subjug<strong>at</strong>ing <strong>the</strong> <strong>HLP</strong> domain to a household level tool of social control of <strong>the</strong>popul<strong>at</strong>ion. In accordance with <strong>the</strong> law, people’s homes are universally recorded and registered. Households onland parcels, deline<strong>at</strong>ed as individual property, (eing/myay paing saing mhu) are registered by local authoritiesand village headmen. This recording and registr<strong>at</strong>ion process enumer<strong>at</strong>es <strong>the</strong> head of household, loc<strong>at</strong>ion andtype of house and family characteristics. Local authorities <strong>at</strong> various community levels are oblig<strong>at</strong>ed to know <strong>the</strong>whereabouts and movements of <strong>the</strong> local popul<strong>at</strong>ion, which has <strong>the</strong> net effect of constant monitoring, surveillanceand control of dwellers by <strong>the</strong> local authorities. This degree of social control, <strong>the</strong> absence of privacy rights and anoverall environment of housing insecurity was worsened fur<strong>the</strong>r during <strong>the</strong> past two decades as a result of massiveforced eviction programmes pursued by both SLORC and SPDC.In January 1993 a N<strong>at</strong>ional Convention was formed for <strong>the</strong> purpose of drafting <strong>the</strong> Constitution. Of <strong>the</strong> 700initial deleg<strong>at</strong>es to <strong>the</strong> N<strong>at</strong>ional Convention (on 28 November 1995, <strong>the</strong> NLD withdrew its 86 represent<strong>at</strong>ives)nearly 600 were handpicked by <strong>the</strong> SPDC. The establishment and <strong>the</strong> manner of functioning of <strong>the</strong> N<strong>at</strong>ionalConvention raise serious questions of legality under both Burmese domestic law and intern<strong>at</strong>ional human rightslaw. Bearing those criticisms in mind, after 18 years a new Constitution was adopted on 29 May 2008. TheConstitution came into force after <strong>the</strong> scheduled 2010 elections. The Constitution follows <strong>the</strong> practice of <strong>the</strong>Revolutionary Council and SLORC in providing th<strong>at</strong> “existing laws shall remain in oper<strong>at</strong>ion in so far as <strong>the</strong>y arenot contrary to this Constitution until and unless <strong>the</strong>y are repealed or amended”. The Constitution reconfirms <strong>the</strong>position of <strong>the</strong> St<strong>at</strong>e as <strong>the</strong> primary land owner in <strong>the</strong> country: “<strong>the</strong> Union is <strong>the</strong> ultim<strong>at</strong>e owner of all lands and alln<strong>at</strong>ural resources above and below <strong>the</strong> ground, above and bene<strong>at</strong>h <strong>the</strong> w<strong>at</strong>er and in <strong>the</strong> <strong>at</strong>mosphere in <strong>the</strong> Union”.As noted below, in terms of individual <strong>HLP</strong> rights, <strong>the</strong> new Constitution enshrines rights for citizens including: <strong>the</strong>right of priv<strong>at</strong>e property, right of inheritance, right of priv<strong>at</strong>e initi<strong>at</strong>ive and p<strong>at</strong>ent in accord with <strong>the</strong> law; <strong>the</strong> right ofcitizens to settle and reside in any place within <strong>the</strong> Republic of <strong>the</strong> Union of <strong>Myanmar</strong> according to law; <strong>the</strong> rightto ownership, use of property and <strong>the</strong> right to priv<strong>at</strong>e invention and p<strong>at</strong>ent in <strong>the</strong> conducting of business if it is notcontrary to <strong>the</strong> provisions of this Constitution and <strong>the</strong> existing laws; and <strong>the</strong> guarantee th<strong>at</strong> <strong>the</strong> Union will protectaccording to law movable and immovable properties of every citizen th<strong>at</strong> are lawfully acquired.This colourful p<strong>at</strong>chwork of laws, developed under widely different systems of governance, has left <strong>Myanmar</strong> witha complex, almost impenetrable, legal framework for housing, land and property regul<strong>at</strong>ion. Indeed, it is oftenmore confusing than a source of <strong>the</strong> clarity, and overall constitutes a serious obstacle to building <strong>the</strong> rule of lawand gre<strong>at</strong>er transparency and fairness. Lax enforcement of long-standing land rights registr<strong>at</strong>ion requirementsand o<strong>the</strong>r formalities required by law has left <strong>the</strong> system of land registr<strong>at</strong>ion and mapping in severe disarray and<strong>the</strong> <strong>Myanmar</strong> people extremely vulnerable to land grabbing and o<strong>the</strong>r viol<strong>at</strong>ions of <strong>HLP</strong> rights in this vol<strong>at</strong>ile time.Moreover, virtually all decision-making is left to <strong>the</strong> unbridled discretion of appointees of <strong>the</strong> central Governmentwith little or no recourse to judicial review.
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