VOA慢速英语2014 Land Seizures in Myanmar Leave Some Homeless and Angry

 

AS IT IS 2014-11-07 Land Seizures¹ in Myanmar Leave Some Homeless and Angry

The value of property in Myanmar has been rising in recent months. At the same time, there are more and more reports of property owners losing control of their land. They say they are being illegally forced off their land. When that happens, they do not receive profits when the land is sold to developers.

There is development almost everywhere in Yangon. It is evidence of the government’s decision to open Myanmar to international business. But there are problems at an industrial development area near the city. The area is known as the Thilawa Special Economic Zone. It is a joint² project between Myanmar and Japan for foreign manufacturers³.

Thousands of people in the area say the military began illegally seizing their property ownership⁴ records more than 20 years ago. They say they were forced from the land after it became valuable.

Saw Min is among the villagers who say they had more than 320 hectares of farmland taken by the military. Her family was forced to move to a small building opposite her property. The farmland is now being developed for housing⁵, and is said to be worth millions of dollars.

Saw Min is exploring every legal method to be paid for the land.

She says, “They claimed that we didn’t have legal ownership of the land and they forced us to leave. I cannot move from here. I don’t have another place to move to. So we keep defending our land by showing ownership documents, and sending letters to the chairman of parliament⁶.”

The story is similar for thousands of other people. Myanmar’s president has promised that the government will investigate all reports of land seizures. But many rights groups say the government is not doing enough. So they are asking foreign companies investing⁷ in developments in Myanmar to help them. They want the businesses to do a better job of identifying who has the legal right to the land they are purchasing.

For now, the country’s property laws seem weak, and the future is unclear for people like Tamya Tay. She was displaced⁸ because of a development project.

She says, “I don’t know how to claim the money for my land. I don’t understand much about laws and my legal rights. I hope that I will get a payment⁹ when my neighbors do.”

Community leader Makon Suha is also not sure he will be paid for the land he has farmed for years. He says he lost nearly 20 hectares of land to the economic zone. He is urging a member of parliament to take the claims of the villagers to the Farmlands Investigation¹⁰ Committee.

He says “I don’t understand laws and land rights. That is why they are cheating on us as they wish. We, all normal citizens of Myanmar, are suffering a lot. Only friends of the military are doing well here.”

Land development and foreign investment¹¹ are growing in Myanmar as the country opens up following years of military dictatorship. The land cases are a test for whether the country’s new economic policies will increase many people’s earnings¹² -- or the earnings of just a few.

Words in This Story 

property – n. anything owned by someone such as land, buildings or goods

control – n. the ability to direct the actions of someone or something; the power to make decisions about something

industrial – adj. relating to any business that produces goods or services

development – n. growth; the act of creating something

1 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

3 manufacturers   

制造商，制造厂( manufacturer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The manufacturers in some countries dumped their surplus commodities abroad. 一些国家的制造商向国外倾销过剩产品。
• Colour TV has been more aggressively promoted as more manufacturers have joined the competition. 由于更多的厂商参与竞争，推销彩色电视机的宣传更为激烈了。

4 ownership   

n.所有(权)，所有制

参考例句：

• The house is under new ownership.那栋房子已易新主。
• He claimed ownership of the house.他声称那幢房子归他所有。

5 housing   

n.房屋，住宅；住房建筑；外壳，外罩

参考例句：

• Do you think our housing sales will turn around during this year?你认为今年我们的住宅销路会好转吗？
• The housing sales have been turning down since the summer.入夏以来，房屋的销售量日趋减少。

6 Parliament   

n.议会，国会

参考例句：

• She won a seat in Parliament at the election.她在选举中赢得了议会中的席位。
• The drug was banned by an act of parliament.议会的法案明令禁止该药品。

7 investing   

v.投资，花费( invest的现在分词 )；授予；（把资金）投入；投入（时间、精力等）

参考例句：

• He was timid about investing money. 他不敢投资。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Europe also caught the excitement of investing in American railroads. 欧洲人对投资美国铁路也极感兴趣。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

8 displaced   

移动( displace的过去式和过去分词 )； 替换； 移走； 撤职

参考例句：

• Gradually factory workers have been displaced by machines. 工厂的工人已逐渐被机器取代。
• He was displaced by another young man. 他已被另一个年轻人顶替。

9 payment   

n.付款，支付，偿还，偿还，报应

参考例句：

• I gave ten pounds in payment for the goods I bought.我买那些东西付了10英镑。
• This last payment will wipe out your debt to me.这最后一笔付款将了结你欠我的债务。

10 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

11 investment   

n.投资，投资额；(时间、精力等的)投入

参考例句：

• It took two years before I recouped my investment.我用了两年时间才收回投资。
• The success of the project pivots on investment from abroad.这个工程的成功主要依靠外来投资。

12 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。