Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Humphries, for your time and your presentations.
The Irrawaddy magazine reports that land confiscation in Burma is “increasing as state agencies and powerfully placed domestic firms position themselves to welcome foreign investment.” The report indicates that groups have been forceably removed from their land to make way for major projects there, including the oil and gas sector. Further suggestions have also implied that natural resource extraction and infrastructure projects have been put in place primarily in the areas inhabited by ethnic minorities. Reports also indicate that local communities have not been consulted about these projects. Land ownership laws are vague in Burma, but I understand that a new law is being developed.
In your opinion, do you feel such legislation will possibly facilitate military-linked businesses to claim that they are acting within the law when they wish to seize a piece of land from such minorities?