A Burmese human rights group claimed that about 8,000 people from 23 villages in the Paunglong region are being forced by Burmese military authorities to relocate to make way for the Upper Paungloung hydro-electric dam project on the Paunglong River in southwestern Shan State, which is being constructed by European and Chinese companies.
The Kayan New Generation Youth (KNGY), an ethnic Kayan human rights group based in Thailand that is documenting the dam project, held a press conference and issued a statement on Tuesday in Thailand. The group said that the Burmese authorities ordered the residents of 23 villages to move to another location before October 2011, and the displaced people will receive just US $50 in compensation.
The electricity generated by the new dam will go to Naypyidaw, the new capital of Burma, according to the KNGY.
KNGY spokesperson Mu Moe Lay said, “The local people have no idea where they should move to. The Paunglong region is full of mountains. That’s the main challenge of the displaced people.”
The Paunglong River is one of the rivers which flow into the Sittaung River, one of Burma's main waterways, and the Upper Paunglong dam project is located about 50 km from Naypyidaw. A government statement said the project was started in 2004 and will produce 140 Megawatts of electricity when finished.
The Swiss engineering firm Af Colenco obtained the contract for construction design and is overseeing the project. London-based Malcom Dunstan Associates and Yunnan Machinery and Export Company (YMEC), a Chinese company, are also involved in the project.
The researchers from KNGY said that a 61-square kilometer reservoir created by the dam will flood the entire Paungloung Valley, the only fertile plain in the area, destroying the local economy and putting pressure on the surrounding forests.
A local resident said, “We were ordered to move out with threats, but we don’t know where to go and how we will survive, although the authorities are letting us choose the new place.”
Another local said, “I had collected some materials to build a new house since 2004, but in this situation I will donate them to the monastery because I don’t want them to be ruined by flood water.”
Meanwhile, forced labor problems are also surfacing in the Paunglong Region. Local people are reportedly being required to construct buildings for the Burmese army battalions which have been deployed to secure the project area. As a result, the KNGY statement urged the foreign investors to pull out of the project.
Source:http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21398
The Kayan New Generation Youth (KNGY), an ethnic Kayan human rights group based in Thailand that is documenting the dam project, held a press conference and issued a statement on Tuesday in Thailand. The group said that the Burmese authorities ordered the residents of 23 villages to move to another location before October 2011, and the displaced people will receive just US $50 in compensation.
The electricity generated by the new dam will go to Naypyidaw, the new capital of Burma, according to the KNGY.
KNGY spokesperson Mu Moe Lay said, “The local people have no idea where they should move to. The Paunglong region is full of mountains. That’s the main challenge of the displaced people.”
The Paunglong River is one of the rivers which flow into the Sittaung River, one of Burma's main waterways, and the Upper Paunglong dam project is located about 50 km from Naypyidaw. A government statement said the project was started in 2004 and will produce 140 Megawatts of electricity when finished.
The Swiss engineering firm Af Colenco obtained the contract for construction design and is overseeing the project. London-based Malcom Dunstan Associates and Yunnan Machinery and Export Company (YMEC), a Chinese company, are also involved in the project.
The researchers from KNGY said that a 61-square kilometer reservoir created by the dam will flood the entire Paungloung Valley, the only fertile plain in the area, destroying the local economy and putting pressure on the surrounding forests.
A local resident said, “We were ordered to move out with threats, but we don’t know where to go and how we will survive, although the authorities are letting us choose the new place.”
Another local said, “I had collected some materials to build a new house since 2004, but in this situation I will donate them to the monastery because I don’t want them to be ruined by flood water.”
Meanwhile, forced labor problems are also surfacing in the Paunglong Region. Local people are reportedly being required to construct buildings for the Burmese army battalions which have been deployed to secure the project area. As a result, the KNGY statement urged the foreign investors to pull out of the project.
Source:http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21398
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