development project

The ongoing legacy of deadly mine run-off for a small town in Thailand could be repeated en masse in Burma, where mining companies have little to no oversight and environmental laws are more lax than Thailand. Two small girls sit and sway in a hammock at their playground beside their nursery school of Lower Klity village. They silently stare into…

A group of environmental activists rode bikes from Rangoon to Dawei to show their support to the estimated 23,000 villagers about to be evicted to make way for the controversial $63 billion Dawei development project planned for the region. Lwin Lwin from Tavoyan Voice, a community based group spoke to Karen News. “14 people including a Tavoyan woman from the…

Villagers in the east of Dawei, Southern Burma are protesting the building of a dam that will destroy their villages and force them to be relocated. More than 400 villagers from five villages from east of Tavoy, in southern Burma gathered in their village and held a prayers service. The villagers, both Buddhist and Christians prayed for the Htee Ler…

A report Burma released by ethnic students and youth groups yesterday documents the lack of inclusion and consultation with local communities by Burma’s government and the developers of the country’s mega projects. The report “Excluded: Burma’s Ethnic Nationalities on the Margins of Democracy and Development launched by the Youth Congress of Burma (SYCB) and the Nationalities Youth Forum (NY-Forum) claim…

A new report by Arakan Oil Watch (AOW) called “Danger Zone” alleges that a planned Chinese industrial zone threatens the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people in Arakan State as well as Burma’s second largest mangrove forest. Arakan Oil Watch (AOW) is a community-based, non-governmental organization monitoring the impact of multinational oil and gas projects on locals inside Burma.…

Hsa Keh village is a small fishing community – nothing more than a line of small bamboo houses with leaf roofing. Under a clear sky, three small wooden fishing boats glide onto the beach. A peaceful scene that now has a dark development cloud hanging over the villagers. Hsa Keh village is in Na Bu Le area, west of Dawei…

Villagers at a public meeting attended by government ministers, political organisations, community groups and developers called for new impact assessments to be carried out on the Dawei Special Economic Zone. Villagers from Ka Loat Hta made their request at a special meeting at Dawei Town Hall on December 5th. More than 300 people attended the meeting that was organized by…

Villagers in Myawaddy Township, Dooplaya District, Karen State, have mixed feelings about road building taking place in their area. Villagers say responsible development that brings benefits to all the people is welcome, but they worry that there is a lack of consultation or planning being done. Htee Mu Hta village is not unlike other communities in Karen State at rice…

15,000 Karen people from villages affected by conflict got together to voice their concerns to their community leaders about unfettered developments earmarked for Karen State during the peace process negotiations. The people’s forum ran from October 26 to 28 and was held in Kyain Seikgyi Township, Karen State. The 15,000 villagers called for “the suspension of all large scale economic…

Using support from the Asia Development Bank, Thailand is planning to restart construction of the road between Myawaddy and Kawkareik Town in Karen State by the end of 2012. Saw Khin Maung Myint, the Karen State Transport Minister confirmed in an interview with Karen News that the planned road construction is part of the highway connection between Thingan Nyi Naung…