Man Tat, a Palaung village in Burma's northern Kachin State and less than 100 kilometers from the Chinese border, was once a peaceful place left largely to its own. Now, with the construction of a 600 megawatt dam across Man Tat's lifeline, the Shweli River, village life has become almost unbearable.
According to "Under the Boot," an in-depth look by the Palaung Youth Network Group (PYNG) at the impact dam construction has had on the local community and environment, the Chinese sponsored infrastructure project has negatively impacted the physical and socio-economic security of Man Tat, bringing into doubt the very future of the community.
"Before, the village security was good; no soldiers stayed in the village. But once the dam project started, the soldiers came and everything changed," laments one resident of Man Tat as quoted in the report, which was released today.
"The loss of lands, resources and livelihoods that in turn impacts nutritional intake, health, and educational opportunities, will impact families for generations," continues the study.
Construction of the dam and its corresponding infrastructure, which commenced in 2001, has led to documented, widespread human rights abuses, including the incidence of forced labor and uncompensated land reclamation.
"When they took my farm I had to clear another farm plot to subsist and to send my children to school. But just after tilling the new fields, the Chinese company building the conveying tunnel dumped earth onto the fields. After toiling for years on the farm now I've had to give up everything because of this dam project," recounts a despondent villager.
Women are said to live in increased fear due to the threat of gender-based violence at the hands of Burmese army troops that moved into the area to oversee the project's development.
One of the principle beneficiaries of electricity generated from the hydropower plant is to be mines located to the south and west of Man Tat. Mining sites in Burma are also reported to be hotbeds for rights abuses, as populations are forced to work for little, if any, remuneration and under appalling health and security environments.
A billboard photographed by PYNG and erected not far from the construction site on the Shweli proclaims: "Shweli hydropower station benefits Myanmar people." Tellingly, the script is written in both English and Chinese, there is no Burmese or local language translation.
PYNG believes that responsible development should prioritize "food supplies, our health, our education, the security of our families and communities, our environment and culture." Unfortunately, their findings portray a deteriorating situation in each of these categories as a result of the Shweli River dam project.
The 56-page report can be viewed in its entirety at http://www.salweenwatch.org/downloads/UndertheBootEnglish.pdf.
