Topic:
Myanmar; hydropower; dams; environmental governance; democratisation; activism.
Description:
"Although general elections in Myanmar (Burma) in November 2010
have transformed the political landscape, many of the characters remain the
same. While there is evidence of incremental domestic political openings many
of the political constraints that existed during military rule remain in force. As a
consequence of decades of military authoritarian governance and civil conflict, it is
Myanmar’s contested ethnic borderlands that have been the important locales for
the development of environmental movements, despite increased recent domestic
activity. This article analyses a case study of the largely cross-border campaign
against hydropower dams on the Salween River in Myanmar and finds that through
the suppression of opposition and dissent at home the regime has stimulated the
creation of an ‘activist diaspora’, a dynamic transnational community of expatriates
who engage in environmental activism beyond the reach of the regime. Due to
their relative freedom on the border and in Thailand this community has developed
expertise and international networks that have proved crucial in communicating
the social and environmental impacts of hydropower development in Myanmar to
the international community. Through increased cooperation with an expanding
domestic civil society this established activist community is stimulating improved
environmental governance of hydropower development and simultaneously
assisting in the creation of a more open and democratic Myanmar..."
Source/publisher:
The Pacific Review
Date of Publication:
2013-02-18
Date of entry:
2020-02-29
Grouping:
- Individual Documents
Category:
Countries:
Myanmar
Language:
English
Local URL:
Format:
pdf
Size:
374.23 KB (25 pages)
Resource Type:
text
Text quality:
- Good