Myanmar HLP Initiative

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 protecting and promoting human rights standards relevant to HLP rights?
How can the current legal code be used to address HLP rights in Burma?
How might the current legal code be reformed to more effectively protect and promote HLP rights?
How can the capacity of civil society be enhanced to more effectively address the HLP legal environment in Burma?

Activities of the Initiative

Publications

Housing, Land and Property Rights in Burma: The Current Legal Code, December 2009

Prepared by Scott Leckie and Ezekiel Simperingham

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)

DS Article “Housing, Land and Property Rights in Burma: Towards New Strategies”, April 2009

This DS article outlines the housing, land and property rights issues in Burma and proposes new strategies to address them. It was published by LawKa PaLa, a Legal Journal on Burma.

Download here

Reports

Guidance Note on Land Grabbing and Speculation in the New Myanmar, July 2012

Though Myanmar/Burma has undergone unprecedented political change in recent months, the country is currently grappling with a severe land grabbing and speculation crisis. The DS Director, Scott Leckie, was requested to provide guidance to the Government about how to address these pressing issues, the views of which are contained in a guidance note on land grabbing and speculation which can be viewed here.

Missions

DS Director Delivers Speech in Myanmar, June 2012

DS visited Myanmar (Burma) in mid-June to examine the country’s rapidly evolving political reforms and how these are likely to affect the HLP rights of its citizens.

DS Director, Scott Leckie, delivered a speech on the opportunity for Myanmar to protect HLP rights during this time of political transition at the Chatrium Hotel in Yangon (Rangoon) for a seminar organised by UN Habitat; Understanding Housing, Land and Property Rights: Challenges in a Changing Myanmar.

DS will be releasing two new reports on HLP rights in Myanmar in coming weeks; a blueprint for improving HLP rights protections, and HLP rights issues within the peace processes in the east of the country.

Read Scott Leckie’s speech here.

Interviews

DS Director Interview by the Democratic Voice of Burma, December 2009

On 28 December 2009, DS Director, Scott Leckie, spoke with the Democratic Voice of Burma about the DS book on Housing, Land and Property Rights in Burma.

Interview available here