A Shan human rights group has pressed the Burmese government to immediately suspend all resource extraction projects in ethnic states that have been ravaged by conflict and to end Burma Army offenses against civilians.
The group stated that such projects should only be considered after a federal peace settlement has been reached, granting local communities ownership and usage rights of natural resources in their regions.
The Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) documented detailed accounts of Burma Army abuses against civilians during military action to secure the local coal mines in Shan State’s Hsipaw Township in May. The group’s recent “Killing for Coal” report highlighted arbitrary arrest, looting, torture and killing.
In operation since the 1990s, the Nam Ma coal mines in Hsipaw Township have contributed to environmental destruction and the loss of crops in nearby villages, according to a SHRF representative.
Sai Kheun Mai, SHRF spokesperson, said, “more than 30 acres of farmland have been destroyed because of the project and more than 100 acres are likely to be affected in Kho Lang Pha, about five kilometers south of Nam Ma.” (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)
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