Thousands of acres of paddy fields and lands of local villagers in Shan State South, where the military junta’s Pawnglawng hydropower plant is being constructed, will be destroyed and thousands of farmers there have been ordered to relocate from the dam site to another area, according to Kayan New Generation Youth (KNGY) that made a documentation of the project.
Mu Moe Lay, one of the field research from the KNGY said, over 2,000 acres of paddy fields and around 20 thousand acres of orange and turmeric farms that make considerable income for the locals’ livelihood, are lying along the Paunglaung River, where the military junta is implementing a project. When the project is completed they all will be surely flooded and destroyed as the reservoir will rise up to a 61-square kilometer height.
“Then the villagers will also have no place to survive as all their farms will be driven by the flood. It is not also sure where else they can create new farms as they have yet to find any place to resettle,” she said.
The project, located about 50 km southeast of Naypyidaw, has been constructed by European and Chinese companies since 2005. It is expected to be finished in 2012 and to produce 140 megawatts of electricity. Afterwards, its power is to be transferred to Naypyitaw, the new capital of Burma.
Due to the near completion of the project, about 8,000 local villagers from 23 villages nearby have since October 2010 been ordered to move out from the areas by coming October 2011. Each family will receive Kyat 50,000 (US $50) for their new resettlement, said Mu Moe Lay.
“No one has yet to receive the money. The villagers don’t want to move. But the authorities said if the villagers don’t comply with the order, they [the authorities] won’t take any responsibility for them if there is flooded. However, the villagers said they will be there until the flood comes up.”
The villagers living at the said project site are mainly Kayan, Pa-Oh, and Burmese. Since the project is conducted thousands of Burma Army soldiers were deployed to take guard the site, forcing the villagers there to provide wood, timber, rice and food and do sentry work for the army as well.
“Travels are also restricted and everyone who entered the villages is ordered to appear himself/herself before the Burma army soldiers. Otherwise, they will be fined,” Mu Moe lay said.
The KNGY strongly urges the foreign investors to pull out of the project as soon as possible.
The foreign companies that involved in the project are said to be the Swiss engineering firm Af Colenco, London-based Malcom Dunstan Associates and Yunnan Machinery and Export Company (YMEC), according to KNGY.
The KNGY held a press conference in Chiangmai yesterday.
More information :http://shanland.org/images/docs/leaflet-paunglaung-english.pdf
Source:http://shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3738:thousands-of-lands-near-juntas-dam-project-site-to-be-destroyed&catid=90:environment&Itemid=287
Mu Moe Lay, one of the field research from the KNGY said, over 2,000 acres of paddy fields and around 20 thousand acres of orange and turmeric farms that make considerable income for the locals’ livelihood, are lying along the Paunglaung River, where the military junta is implementing a project. When the project is completed they all will be surely flooded and destroyed as the reservoir will rise up to a 61-square kilometer height.
“Then the villagers will also have no place to survive as all their farms will be driven by the flood. It is not also sure where else they can create new farms as they have yet to find any place to resettle,” she said.
The project, located about 50 km southeast of Naypyidaw, has been constructed by European and Chinese companies since 2005. It is expected to be finished in 2012 and to produce 140 megawatts of electricity. Afterwards, its power is to be transferred to Naypyitaw, the new capital of Burma.
Due to the near completion of the project, about 8,000 local villagers from 23 villages nearby have since October 2010 been ordered to move out from the areas by coming October 2011. Each family will receive Kyat 50,000 (US $50) for their new resettlement, said Mu Moe Lay.
“No one has yet to receive the money. The villagers don’t want to move. But the authorities said if the villagers don’t comply with the order, they [the authorities] won’t take any responsibility for them if there is flooded. However, the villagers said they will be there until the flood comes up.”
The villagers living at the said project site are mainly Kayan, Pa-Oh, and Burmese. Since the project is conducted thousands of Burma Army soldiers were deployed to take guard the site, forcing the villagers there to provide wood, timber, rice and food and do sentry work for the army as well.
“Travels are also restricted and everyone who entered the villages is ordered to appear himself/herself before the Burma army soldiers. Otherwise, they will be fined,” Mu Moe lay said.
The KNGY strongly urges the foreign investors to pull out of the project as soon as possible.
The foreign companies that involved in the project are said to be the Swiss engineering firm Af Colenco, London-based Malcom Dunstan Associates and Yunnan Machinery and Export Company (YMEC), according to KNGY.
The KNGY held a press conference in Chiangmai yesterday.
More information :http://shanland.org/images/docs/leaflet-paunglaung-english.pdf
Source:http://shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3738:thousands-of-lands-near-juntas-dam-project-site-to-be-destroyed&catid=90:environment&Itemid=287
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