"TheJapan Internati onal Cooperati on Agency (JICA) has recently issued a blueprint that proposes industrial development in Southeast Burma/ Myanmar, purportedly to aid in the return and sett lement of refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Karen and Mon States. However, the Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN), a network of nearly 30 ethnic Karen organizati ons, cauti ons JICA that its blueprint for infrastructure development such as roads and industrial estates in the war-torn southeast is premature and fl awed, potenti ally exacerbati ng confl ict in the region. The KPSN (formerly KCBPSN) is the largest network of Karen civil society organizati ons in Burma/Myanmar.1 These organizati ons have been providing support for vulnerable people in this confl ict-torn region for decades, striving to empower local communiti es, build transparent and accountable insti tuti ons, and help create a sustainable peace in Burma/Myanmar. KPSN and its member organizati ons are important stakeholders which must be included in any development planning process in the Karen areas of the southeast...."