development project

A statement by the Committee for Shan State Unity (CSSU) has criticised Burmese Government plans to dam the Salween river, questioning the economic benefits of various projects and raising concerns over their environmental impact and effect on the ongoing conflict situation in Shan and Kachin States. According to the community based organisation Salween Watch, six hydropower projects are being developed…

A controversial Chinese dam project in Shan State has been given the go-ahead, as local human rights organisations warned that the development could stoke ongoing conflict in the region. The project, called Naung Pha dam, will produce 1,200 megawatts, of which 90% will be exported directly to China. Naung Pha is backed by China’s state-owned Hydrochina Company. The project has…

The delay in the National Electrification Project (NEP) has caused villagers to doubt it will become a reality, but they are worried that the second installment they paid for is now lost. The National Electrification Project is a joint venture by the World Bank and the Department of Rural Development that was supposed to deliver electricity to villages by late…

Compensation would be given to locals whose farmlands or fruit tree plantations were affected by the two power cable projects from Myawady to Mawlamyaing and Myawady to Kawkareik. The Myawady-Mawlamyaing 230 KV and Myawady-Kawkareik 66 KV power line projects is being built, some of its towers run through farmlands and plantations. Government officials have said that a committee will be…

In an effort to resettle and reintegrate internally displaced communities, the Karen National Union’s local officials are using funding from Japan’s Nippon Foundation to build low-cost housing for displaced people forced from their homes during armed conflict. With funding from the Nippon Foundation, a Japanese non-government organisation, 300 low-cost houses are being built in Kyain Seikgyi and Payar Thonzu Townships…

Villagers in Karen State are upset tunnels dug on their land for international and local telecommunication companies was done without permission. Naung Ka Myaing villagers in Hpa-an township, Karen State are now demanding and official clarification and paperwork about the cable tunnel digging project that was carried out on their farmlands and backyards The tunnel excavation was carried out by…

In an effort to create more understanding on the proposed hydro-power dam on Baw Ka Hta River in Kyaukyi Township, the Karen National Union held a consultation meeting with community organizations on May 6 in the Thai border town of Mae Sot. The Baw Ka Hta hydro-power dam project, located in the KNU’s Nyaunglebin (Kler Lwee Htu) district in Easter…

Villagers in Doo Tha Htoo District Karen State are demanding to be paid full compensation for their lands they allege were illegally taken by one of Burma’s largest companies. Residents of Shwe Yaung Pya village and surrounding villages in Thaton Township have made it clear that they want to get paid full compensation for 5,000 acres of land near Shwe…

Mi Kayin villagers in Hpa-an Township held a prayer service for the protection of their land and natural resources threatened by the proposed cement plant on March 29, 2016. The villagers gathered at the base of Mi Kayin Mountain for the public prayer service after a recently revived proposal to develop a limestone quarry and cement factory near their village.…

A coalition of Karen environmental community based groups, the Karen River Watch, joined with local villagers to protest the building of hydro-power dams on the Salween River. The protesters called for all mega hydro-power projects on Salween River to stop. The protest marked the International Day of Action for Rivers and Against Dams, held each year on March 14. Representatives…