Forced displacement/forced migration linked to natural resource exploitation

Under construction. This area will cover exploitation of land, oil/gas, hydro-power etc.
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Individual Documents

Title: Where is genuine peace? - A critique of the peace process in Karenni State
Description: "A new report by the Karenni Civil Society Network (KCSN) raises concerns about international ?peace support” programming amid st increasing Burma Army militarization in Karenni State after the2012 ceasefire with the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP). The report ?Where is Genuine Peace?” exposes how a pilot resettlement project of the Norway-led Myanmar Peace Support Initiative (MPSI) in Shardaw Township is encouraging IDPs to return to an area controlled by the Burma Army where their safety cannot be guaranteed. The MPSI claims that between June 2013 and September 2014 it supported 1,431 IDPs to return to 10 Shadaw villages forcibly relocated in 1996. However, KCSN found only about a third of these IDPs in the villages, most of whom were working-age adults returning to carry out farming, but not daring to return permanently due to fears of renewed conflict. As in other parts of Karenni State, the Burma Army has been reinforcing troops and fortifying its positions in Shadaw, where there is a tactical command centre and over 20 military outposts. ?Instead of encouraging IDPs to return home be fore it is safe, international donors should be trying to ensure that the rights of conflict-affected villagers are protected,” said one of KCSN. ?There must be pressure on the government to pull back its troops from the ethnic areas and start political dialog ue towards federal reform.” KCSN also criticizes the MPSI for fuelling conflict by ignoring Karenni-managed social service organizations that have been providing primary health care and other support to IDPs in Shadaw for decades. MPSI?s health support was through the government system, which remains highly centralized and dysfunctional in Karenni State. ?Donors should not just give one-sided support to expand government services into ethnic conflict areas. This won?t be effective, and will only increase resentment and fuel conflict,” said KSWDC. The report also raises concerns about rampant resource extraction after the ceasefire, land confiscation, military expansions and lack of transparency around dam plans on the Salween and its tributaries in Karenni State. KCSN is calling for a moratorium on large-scale infrastructure and resource extraction projects in Karenni State until there is genuine peace." [from the KCSN press release of 5 December, 2014]
Source/publisher: Karenni Civil Society Network (KCSN)
Date of publication: 2014-12-05
Date of entry/update: 2015-01-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.6 MB
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Title: Model villages are not a model (Burmese/ မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Description: Summary: ?As crony companies and foreign investment companies join with the government in large-scale projects, a new model of ?development” is unfolding across Burma. To make way for hydropower dams and mono-crop plantations, villagers have been forced into relocation camps, or so-called ?model villages.” The government and the companies state proudly in the media that the living standard of these relocated people has improved, but the reality is completely opposite. The housing in the relocation camps is sub-standard. There is no clean water for household use, insufficient drinking water, and inadequate education and health care. Having lost their lands and livelihoods, the relocated people are forced to find insecure and low-paid daily wage jobs to try and feed themselves. They are constantly worrying about their future, and how to provide for their children?s education. Women face increased risk of sexual harassment and assault by migrant laborers. In this situation, people do not feel like they are living in ?model villages.” They feel like they are living in refugee camps, full of wretchedness and difficulty... This short booklet presents the cases of three relocation camps in Kachin State: Sanpyar camp in Hugawng Valley, and Aung Myin Thar and Maliyang camps near the Irrawaddy Myitsone. It gives an insight into people?s lives before and after relocation... Mungchying Rawt Jat (MRJ) was set up in September 2012 by farmers directly affected by government development projects in Kachin State. The objectives of Mungchying Rawt Jat (MRJ): • Development of grassroots communities • Sustainable development. • Protection of natural resources • Ensuring local people?s participation in decision-making around development projects • Letting local people lead peaceful and secure lives...”
Source/publisher: Mungchying Rawt Jat (MRJ) via Kachin Development Networking Group (KDNG)
Date of publication: 2013-07-21
Date of entry/update: 2014-12-21
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Burmese/ မြန်မာဘာသာ
Format : pdf
Size: 1.64 MB
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