They say that good boundaries make good neighbours, however it is often difficult to determine where such boundaries lie. In rural Myanmar, disputes over boundaries are often solved through traditional methods, which include engaging the village elders and other customary authorities.
Decades of civil war and massive development have created even more serious problems concerning land, such as people being forced to flee and returning to see their land occupied by others. Sometimes the military, ethnic armed organisations, the government, companies or a combination of them take over the land of farmers without following a legal procedure or providing adequate compensation for the land lost. This creates very serious problems for displaced people.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), together with Displacement Solutions, has conducted a study to learn more about how village leaders solve land disputes in the traditional way to help inform policy makers on the best ways forward to ensure protection. The report is entitled "A HLP-Rights Based Assessment of Customary Land Dispute Resolution in Eastern Bago Region and Kayin and Shan States."