KNGY - Kayan New Generation Youth

JOINT STATEMENT ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY of Action Against Dams for Water and Life
Karen Rivers Watch, 16th March 2006

We 359 people of different ethic nationalities from 7 Burmese social organizations, as well as Thai social organizations and local villagers attended the International Day of Action Against Dams for Water and Life event on 14th March 2006, held in one of the five planned Dam sites, Wei Gyi, adjacent by Mae Hong Son Province, inside Karen State. The event was hosted by the Karen Rivers Watch. The coalition members/or signing organizations call on the Thai government and the Burmese military regime to scrap the plans to build dams on the Salween River .

Since 1992, the Burma military regime has waged wars against Karen National Union to seize control of Papun District, formerly Karen National Union's, KNU controlled territory. 210 villages have been destroyed, and half of the population, about 50,000 people, driven into Thailand or other parts of Burma . About 35,000 people, 60% of the remaining population, live in hiding in the jungles.

Currently (25,000) people from Karen people along Thai-Burma border, IDPs and Karen people from different districts inside Karen State have signed the petition against Dams planned Dams projects.

We are demanding an immediate end to the planned Salween Dams projects on Salween river, including Tar seng Dam in Shan State, Ywa Thit Dam in Karenni State, Wei Gyi, Dam, Dagwin Dam and Hat Gyi Dam in Karen State. These projects would entail increased militarization, human rights abuses, land confiscation and infringement on rights of indigenous peoples.

We call upon the United Nations, UNSC, World Commission on Dams, international communities, and Thai public to increase pressure on the SPDC regime and the Royal Thai Government to completely stop the proposed dams on the Salween River until democracy is restored in Burma .

We call upon ASEAN to take serious consideration and help stop the proposed dams which will bring about the aforesaid sufferings, rape of ethnic women and drastic change of eco-system in the region.

We urge SPDC regime to immediately stop waging wars against ethnic people along the border, stop the planned dam projects across Salween River , forced labor, extortion of money, torture and extrajudicial killings of the Karen people and burning of Karen villages.

And we (a joint group) fully support the following recommendations made by "Karen Rivers Watch"

To SPDC
- Immediately stop its atrocities against the people in Karen State and withdraw its troops from the entire area.

- Abandon all plans to build dams on the Salween River , which forms a vital part of Asian eco-system. Alternative sources of energy must be developed by the mandate of democratically elected leaderships.

To Royal Thai Government ·
- Stop plans to dam the Salween , as there will be no benefits for local population. On the contrary, the dams will cause further forced relocation, forced labour, poverty, and other forms of human rights abuses against local people, which will lead to further displacement. ·

- Stop all forms of investment in Burma until genuine democracy is restored, as this investment is strengthening the military dictatorship and supporting their military strategy to suppress the ethnic peoples · Stop any development aid to Burma until democracy is restored, otherwise any benefits from such aid will only go to high-ranking officers, but local population.

By K2

# posted by KNGY : 11:38 AM