Pinpet Mountain under imminent threat
as iron project speeds ahead....
"Excavation of Burma’s second largest iron deposit located
in southern Shan State is imminent as bulldozers begin
preparatory clearing on the iconic Pinpet Mountain, home
to 7,000 people. The 300 residents in Pang Ngo village are
in immediate danger from falling rocks and landslides as
machines uproot trees, clear brush and remove top soil on
the west side of the mountain. Farm fi elds at the foot of the
mountain may be covered with toxic waste soils once the

Villagers in Karen areas of southeast Myanmar continue to face widespread land confiscation at the hands of a multiplicity of actors. Much of this can be attributed to the rapid expansion of domestic and international commercial interest and investment in southeast Myanmar since the January 2012 preliminary ceasefire between the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Myanmar government. KHRG first documented this in a 2013 report entitled ‘Losing Ground’, which documented cases of land confiscation between January 2011 and November 2012.

Myanmar/Burma:-
Mine Ban Treaty status: Not a State Party...
Pro-mine ban UNGA voting
record:
Abstained on Resolution 66/29 in December 2011, as
in previous years...
Participation in Mine Ban
Treaty meetings:
Attended the Eleventh Meeting of States Parties in
Phnom Penh in November–December 2011...
Key developments: Foreign Minister stated Myanmar is considering
accession to the Mine Ban Treaty. President Thein
Sein requested assistance for clearance of mines.

Summary:
"• Although Burma is rich in energy resources, the ruling military regime exports those
resources, leaving people with chronic energy shortages. The exploitation of natural
resources, including through mining, has caused severe environmental and social
impacts on local communities as companies that invest in these projects have no
accountability to affected communities.
• There are over 16 large-scale coal deposits in Burma, with total coal resources of over

The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (hereafter “Kaladan Project”) will see
the construction of a combined inland waterway and highway transportation system
connecting Mizoram State in Northeast India with a Bay of Bengal deepsea port at Sitetway,
Arakan State in Western Burma. The Indian government is entirely financing the
Kaladan Project, and these funds are officially classified as development aid to Burma.
Once completed, the infrastructure will belong to the Burma government, but the project

Shwe Pipeline Brings Land Confiscation, Militarization and Human Rights Violations to the Ta’ang People.
The Ta’ang Students and Youth Organization (TSYO) released a report today called “Pipeline Nightmare” that illustrates how the Shwe Gas and Oil Pipeline project, which will transport oil and gas across Burma to China, has resulted in the confiscation of people’s lands, forced labor, and increased military presence along the pipeline, affecting thousands of people.

Only 40 kms north of the Thai border
in the mountains of eastern Shan State,
Thai investors are poised to begin
mining and burning large reserves
of coal at Mong Kok. Ihis
project — which will ravage a
pristine valley and poison
the Kok River, impacting
countless Shan and northern
Thai communities downstream
- must be stopped immediately.
The Italian-Thai Power Company has entered into
agreements with the Burmese military regime to
develop an open-pit coal mine and power plant at

(Survey in NgaPhe` Township, MinBu District, Magway Division and Thipaw Township, Kyauk
Mae District, Northern Shan State)
By BadeiDha Moe Civil Society Organization.....

Conclusions: "Amnesty International’s latest research shows that hundreds of people close to the giant Letpadaung mine continue to face the risk of forced eviction from their farmland, and in the case of four villages, from their homes as well. In addition, thousands of people living in the area are at risk from Myanmar Wanbao’s inadequate management of environmental risk at the Letpadaung mine, which is situated in a flood and earthquake-prone area. The ESIA for the mine contains fundamental gaps and weaknesses, which Myanmar Wanbao has still not addressed.

... Karenni people celebrated three kinds of pole festivals in a year. The first one is called Tya-Ee-Lu-Boe-Plya. During this festival, the people went to their paddy fields, vegetable farms, picked the premature fruits and brought it to the Ee-Lu-pole. They put the premature fruits on altar, thank god and then pray for good fruits and good harvest. The second one called Tya-Ee-Lu-Phu-Seh. In this festival they pray god to bless the teenagers with good conducts, and good healths. The third one is Tya-Ee-Lu-Du. The festival concerned to everyone.

INTRODUCTION: "The November 8, 2015 elections in Myanmar
marked a historic milestone in the country’s political
and economic transition that began in 2011.
Incoming policy makers are preparing to pick up the
baton and deliver on the people’s strong aspirations for
a harmonious and prosperous Myanmar. In this series
of policy notes, the World Bank Group seeks to promote
dialogue on critical development challenges and
on options for policies and reforms that can contribute
to shared prosperity for the people of Myanmar.

Land transformation has been at the centre of the economic growth of post-colonial Asia. In the 1990s, many Asian countries embraced economic liberalization and speculative business interests in land began to replace the state’s control of land for developmental purposes. The growing demand for land by corporations and private investors has fuelled several regional land rush waves in Asia, bringing them directly in conflict with communities that require these lands for their occupations and survival.