Since its establishment in 2006, Displacement Solutions has been active in exploring the housing, land and property rights situation in Burma. The Burma HLP Initiative aims to shed new light on the numerous HLP rights issues in Burma today by building capacity for enforcing these rights by citizens of the country. The Initiative works together with various groups within and outside Burma towards these ends.
The Initiative explores key questions such as:
- What are the characteristics and status of the legal regime in Burma as it relates to HLP rights issues?
- How effective is the current legal regime in promoting human rights standards relevant to HLP rights? What are the key issues facing the HLP rights regime in Burma?
- In what ways can the legal code more effectively address HLP rights in Burma, and how might it be reformed to avoid problems in the future transition process? This will draw on the many experiences of political transition since the end of the Cold War.
- How can the capacity of the Burmese democratic opposition be enhanced to structurally address the HLP legal environment in Burma today? How can expert capacity be strengthened to better prepare the broader democratic opposition to address the HLP challenges that will arise during and after political transition?
Activities of the Initiative
Housing, Land and Property Rights in Burma: The Current Legal Code
The 1,245 page book Housing, Land and Property Rights in Burma: The Current Legal Code was published in late 2009. Since its publication, this comprehensive volume has been widely distributed throughout Burma and to groups comprising the international democratic movement for Burma. Displacement Solutions is currently organising a series of on-site distribution and discussion sessions of the issues raised in the book to groups in various location in Thailand.
Download or order the new book by Displacement Solutions – Housing, Land and Property Rights in Burma: The Current Legal Framework.
Download digital version (3.6MB)
Hard Cover Book – Order form (50KB)
Burma’s HLP Laws – Full Texts in English and Burmese
This section contains the full text of all laws, amendments and decrees (both currently in force and repealed) that address the full spectrum of housing, land and property rights in Burma. Each of these laws can be found in the book “Housing, Land and Property Rights in Burma: The Current Legal Framework” outlined above. Please check back periodically for updates.
Housing, Land and Property Laws in Force in Burma
The Caste Disabilities Removal Act (1850)
The Hindu Widows Remarriage Act (1856)
The Land and Revenue Act (1879)
The Married Women’s Property Act (1874)
The Specific Relief Act (1877)
The Transfer of Property Act (1882)
The Land Acquisition (Mines) Act (1885)
The Upper Burma Land and Revenue Regulation (1889)
The Land Acquisition Act (1894)
The Lower Burma Town and Village Lands Act (1899)
The Towns (Amendment) Act (1947)
The Village (Amendment) Act (1955)
The Village (Amendment) Act (1961)
The Code of Civil Procedure (1909) [Selections]
The Hindu Disposition of Property Act (1916)
The Rangoon Development Trust Act (1921)
The City of Rangoon Municipal Act (1922)
The City of Rangoon Municipal (Amendment) Act (1955) (Law No IX)
The City of Rangoon Municipal (Amendment) Act (1955) (Law No XLI)
The City of Rangoon Municipal (Amendment) Act (1958)
The City of Rangoon Municipal (Amendment) Act (1960)
The City of Rangoon Municipal (Amendment) Act (1961)
The City of Yangon Municipal (Amendment) Act (1991)
The Cantonments (House Accomodation) Act (1923)
The Hindu Inheritence (Removal of Disabilities) Act (1928)
The Hindu Law of Inheritance Amendment Act (1929)
The Hindu Gains of Learning Act (1930)
The Custodian of Movable Property Act (1945)
The Public Property Protection Act (1947)
The Requisitioning (Emergency Provisions) Act (1947)
The Land Nationalization Act (1953)
The Urban Rent Control Act (1960)
The Urban Rent Control (Amendment) Act (1960)
The Urban Rent Control (Amendment) Act (1961)
The Tenancy (Amendment) Law (1965)
The Law Safeguarding Peasant Rights (1963)
The Electricity (Amendment) Law (1990)
The Transfer of Immoveable Property Restriction Act (1987)
The Transfer of Immoveable Property Restriction (Amendment) Act (2005)
The Union of Myanmar Foreign Investment Law (1988)
Procedures Relating to the Union of Myanmar Foreign Investment Law (1988)
The City of Yangon Development Law (1990)
The City of Yangon Development (Amendment) Law (1995)
The City of Yangon Development (Amendment) Law (1996)
Procedures Conferring the Right to Cultivate Land/ Right to Utilize Land (1991)
Procedures Conferring the Right to Cultivate Land/ Right to Utilize Land (Amendment) (1998)
The Law for the Repeal of Laws (1992)
The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law (1993)
The Development Committees Law (1993)
The Development Committees (Amendment) Law (1997)
The Development of Border Areas and National Races Law (1993)
The Protection of Wildlife and Conservation of Natural Areas Law (1994)
The Protection and Preservation of Cultural Heritage Regions Laws (1998)
The Attorney General Law (2001)
The City of Mandalay Development Law (1992)
Order No 3: Conferring Powers Relating to Land Administration (2007)
The Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (2008)
Repealed Housing, Land and Property Laws in Burma
The Waste Land Claims act (1863)
The Land Improvement Loans Act (1883)
The Government Management of Private Estates Act (1892)The Municipal Act (1898)
The Law Amending the Municipal Act (1990)
The Government Buildings Act (1899)
The Ancient Monuments Preservation Act (1904)
The Wild Life Protection Act (1936)
The Land Alienation Act (1939)
The Burma Land Purchase Act (1941)
The Monthly Leases (Termination) Act (1946)
The Buildings (Regulation of Construction and Repair) Act (1946)
The Buildings (Regulation of Construction and Repair) (Amendment) Act (1948)
The Transfer of Immovable Property (Restriction) Act (1947)
The Constitution of the Union of Burma (1948)
The Land Nationalization Act (1948)
The Urban Rent Control Act (1948)
The Urban Rent Control (Application) Act (1952)
The Constitution of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma (1974)
The City of Mandalay Development Law (1992)
DS Director Interview by the Democratic Voice of Burma
Article in the Burma Law Journal
For further information on any of the activities of this Initiative, please contact zeke@displacementsolutions.org or info@displacementsolutions.org
New book includes an article by DS Director Scott Leckie entitled “Leader of the Pack: Who Should Take the Lead on Post-Conflict HLP Issues?”Available from: http://developmentbookshop.com/product_info.php?products_id=1566
Registered office:
Displacement Solutions
Rue des Cordiers 14 Geneva 1207
Switzerland
Email: info@displacementsolutions.org
Telephone: +61.400.388.345
(For initial enquiries email contact is preferred).