Kokang-appointed administrator in Muse confiscates village land and sues residents

Mekong, July 3 In Muse Township, Shan State, northern Myanmar, a former administrator reappointed by the Kokang group (MNDAA) is confiscating village land and further suing local residents, according to sources. U Maung Aye, who has been appointed by the Kokang group as the administrator of the 105 Mile area, Maing Yu village tract in Muse Township, is reportedly seizing village land in Aun Nan Hwe village in the 105 Mile area, claiming ownership, and has also filed lawsuits against local residents at the allied office in 105 Mile, sources said. When local residents were preparing to carry out stone quarrying activities on the village's communal land in Aun Nan Hwe village, located along the main road from Muse Township's 105 Mile to Kyukok (Pansai), to generate village funds with the consent of the entire village, U Maung Aye, the administrator of the 105 Mile area, intervened, claiming the land was his. "When the village was preparing to quarry stone to create village funds, the administrator came and stopped us, saying that the land was no longer the village's and had become his. In reality, the entire village knows that this land is communal land. The elders also say it is village land. It has been permitted to be collectively worked on for village funds. Yet, the administrator has deliberately come and is seizing it by asserting his ownership with his authority," said a source. Currently, administrator U Maung Aye has filed lawsuits against the youth leaders of Aun Nan Hwe village at the allied administrative committee office in 105 Mile, and the administrative office has summoned village representatives and set a two-week deadline for them to prepare documents, according to sources. U Maung Aye is a resident of Nan Hwan village and served as an administrator during the period when the military council was in control. Even after the Kokang group took control, the Kokang group has continued to keep him in the position of administrator. "He was the administrator under the SAC, and now that Kokang controls it, they have kept him as the administrator. Regarding this case, yesterday, the allied administrative committee in 105 Mile called a meeting. The allied group did not listen much to what the local residents said and only sided with the administrator they appointed. Although it is an allied office, it is all run by the Kokang army. The Ta'ang army is no longer here. The administration is primarily handled by Kokang. It is not easy to achieve justice. Now, the administrator is threatening the village, relying on the Kokang army," said a local source. Administrator U Maung Aye is currently suing the youth leaders of Aun Nan Hwe village at the administrative committee in 105 Mile, which is jointly controlled by the Kokang group (MNDAA) and the Arakan Army (AA), and is also threatening the village. Local sources said that this land, approximately one acre in size, has been village land for over 30 years and has never been sold to anyone. #MekongNews #Muse #Kokang #Administrator #VillageLand #Lawsuit