The person in charge of the land surveying department in Yangon Division, is asking for money from local farmers as repair fees of their farmhouses.

A farmer from Kyauk Tan near Yangon said, “These fees range from 20,000 to 50000 kyats.  It is 30000 kyats for a farmhouse but if the farmer has a good relationship with U Tin Maung Win (Head of land surveying department), he pays only 20,000.

The farmer has to pay 50,000 kyats if he used a tin roof. The fees are charged regardless of whether a new farmhouse has been built or just an old one has been repaired.

The brick bakers in the farm were charged an additional 50,000 kyats. The local authority claims that this fee is legal because they baked the bricks where there is no right to do so. The local farmers argue that this program started only this year and so is not the government program.

It has been announced that there will be arrests if the authorities were not informed about the building of farmhouses.

Although there were complaints to the authorities of the Ta Tar, Kyauk Tan Township, there have been no actions about it. There are more complaints going to the higher level of Kyauk Tan Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) but there have still been no changes and their complaints remain unheard.