Internal displacement/forced migration of Shan. Palaung and Wa villagers

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Title: IDPs (Category archive from BurmaNet News)
Description: Articles from this category from BurmaNet News)
Source/publisher: Burma Rivers Network
Date of entry/update: 2016-03-01
Grouping: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Title: Shan Human Rights Foundation Monthly Reports
Description: Archive from May 98.
Source/publisher: Shan Human Rights Foundation
Date of entry/update: 2015-10-26
Grouping: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Individual Documents

Title: Human Rights Watch Statement: Impacts of Covid-19 on Internally Displaced People in Myanmar
Topic: Explosive Weapons in Civilian Areas , Landmines , Internally Displaced People
Sub-title: Statement of Manny Maung, Myanmar Researcher, Human Rights Watch Subcommittee on International Human Rights Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development
Topic: Explosive Weapons in Civilian Areas , Landmines , Internally Displaced People
Description: "Study of the Impacts of Covid-19 on Internally Displaced People in Myanmar Thank you to the Chairperson and Honorable Members of Parliament for inviting me to appear before this Committee to discuss the impacts of Covid-19 on internally displaced people in Myanmar. My name is Manny Maung and I am the Myanmar Researcher for Human Rights Watch. Decades of conflict have resulted in over 360,000 internally displaced peoples across the country. They are mainly members of ethnic minority communities spread across northern Myanmar, in Kachin and Shan States; in western Rakhine State; and in the southeast near the Myanmar-Thai border. Renewed conflict has created fresh displacements in 2020 in both Rakhine and Shan States. Humanitarian agencies reported that the government did not take measures to ensure that they could deliver emergency aid under the government-imposed travel restrictions to protect against the spread of Covid-19. In October, Human Rights Watch released a report, “An Open Prison without End,” on Myanmar’s detention of 130,000 Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State since 2012.[1] Human Rights Watch found that the squalid and oppressive conditions imposed on the interned Rohingya and Kaman Muslims amount to the crimes against humanity of persecution, apartheid, and severe deprivation of liberty. Starting in August 2017, a military campaign of killings, sexual violence, arson, and forced eviction of Rohingya in northern Rakhine State forced more than 700,000 to flee to Bangladesh. Human Rights Watch determined the Myanmar security forces committed ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, and acts of genocide..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Human Rights Watch" (USA)
Date of publication: 2020-12-10
Date of entry/update: 2021-01-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Hundreds Of Villagers Displaced By Fighting 
Description: "Hundreds of villagers remain displaced after heavy fighting between the Burma Army (Tatmadaw) and the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) broke out their homes in southern Shan State. More than 260 internally displaced persons (IDPs) sought refuge in Kehsi township in southern Shan State during clashes that have lasted for three days. Sai Sang Mueng, a state level MP for Kehsi constituency-1, told SHAN that 107 IDPs are sheltering in a monastery in Phet Nam village, located in Wanchin village-tract, in Kehsi township. The rest are staying with their relatives in the township. Local MPs and the general administration development officer are providing food rations for the IDPs. “Currently, there aren’t any problems but if the situation continues it may get more difficult (to provide aid.) I think the IDPs will return to their home when the clashes end,” Sai Sang Mueng said. The Tatmadaw fought with the RCSS/SSA on Loi Tom mountain between Kehsi and Mong Kung township in southern Shan State. Nearly 500 IDPs driven from their homes from previous fighting returned to their homes on March 1..."
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Source/publisher: "Shan Herald Agency for News" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2020-03-04
Date of entry/update: 2020-03-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar: Civilians displaced by fighting in Shan State 2018-19 (As of 21 November 2019) [EN/MY]
Description: "There are currently about 8,800 displaced people residing in camps or settlements in the northern part of Shan State as a result of the armed conflict that resumed and has continued since 2011. Continued armed conflict has led to multiple cases of new short-term displacement. Between January 2018 and November 2019, over 46,000 people were displaced by fighting in 14 different townships. In most cases this was short-term displacement, with people returning to their place of origin after a few weeks or months. Ongoing insecurity and resulting access restrictions continue to hinder the provision of humanitarian protection and assistance to displaced people in need in the area...၂၀၁၁ တွင် ပြန်လည်အစပြုပြီး ဆက်လက်ဖြစ်ပေါ်လျက်ရှိသော လက်နက်ကိုင် ပဋိပက္ခများကြောင့် ရှမ်းပြည်နယ်မြောက်ပိုင်းရှိ စခန်းများနှင့် အခြေချရာ ကျေးရွာများတွင် နေထိုင်နေရသော နေရပ်စွန့်ခွာရသူ လူဦးရေ ၈၈၀၀ ခန့် ရှိနေပြီဖြစ်သည်။ လက်နက်ကိုင် ပဋိပက္ခများ ဆက်လက် ဖြစ်ပေါ်နေခြင်းကြောင့် ကာလတို နေရပ်စွန့်ခွာရမှုများလည်း အများအပြား ဖြစ်ပွားလျက်ရှိသည်။ ဇန်နဝါရီ ၂၀၁၈ နှင့် နိုဝင်ဘာ ၂၀၁၉ ကြားတွင် မြို့နယ် ၁၄ ခုအတွင်း တိုက်ပွဲများဖြစ်ပွားခဲ့ခြင်းကြောင့် လူဦးရေ ၄၆၀၀၀ ကျော် နေရပ်စွန့်ခွာရလျက်ရှိသည်။ များသောအားဖြင့် ဤနေရပ်စွန့်ခွာရမှုများမှာ ခေတ္တသာဖြစ်ပြီး ရက်သတ္တပတ် အနည်းငယ် သို့မဟုတ် လအနည်းငယ်အတွင်းမှာပင် နေရပ်ပြန်နိုင်ကြသည်။ လုံခြုံမှုအားနည်းနေဆဲအခြေအနေများနှင့် ဖြစ်ပေါ်လာသော သွားလာခွင့် ကန့်သတ်ချက်များကြောင့် ၎င်းနယ်မြေရှိ လိုအပ်နေသော နေရပ်စွန့်ခွာသူများအား လူသားချင်း စာနာမှုဆိုင်ရာ အကာအကွယ်နှင့် အကူအညီများပေးရန် နှောင့်နှေးကြန့်ကြာလျက်ရှိသည်။..."
Source/publisher: OCHA (New York) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication: 2019-11-25
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Size: 418.24 KB 431.26 KB
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Title: “Caught in the middle”: Abuses against civilians amid conflict in Myanmar’s northern Shan State
Topic: Myanmar Army Conflict
Topic: Myanmar Army Conflict
Description: "The decades-long conflict in northern Shan State has escalated in recent months following attacks by three ethnic armed groups on military installations and other locations in the country on 15 August 2019. The government stated that the attacks were likely to have been carried out in retaliation for recent successful anti-drug trafficking operations in the region. According to the three ethnic armed groups – calling themselves the “Brotherhood Alliance” – the attacks were launched in response to a military offensive in Rakhine State in the west of the country as well as repeated military operations in northern Shan state, despite a military ceasefire in the area. Civilians in northern Shan State, who have borne the brunt of these previous operations, looks set to endure fresh abuses, conflict, and displacement. This report examines international human rights abuses and violations of humanitarian law committed since mid-2018 by parties to the ongoing internal armed conflicts in northern Shan State. On 21 December 2018, the Myanmar military announced a unilateral ceasefire in northern and eastern Myanmar, however, as this report shows, while there may have been a reduction of the number of clashes involving the military, Myanmar soldiers have continued to commit serious violations against ethnic minority civilians. The declared ceasefire period has also seen a continuation, and in some areas an escalation, of fighting among ethnic armed groups, some backed by the Myanmar military. Amnesty International undertook research missions to northern Shan State in March and August 2019. In total, Amnesty International interviewed 88 people, including victims and direct witnesses to violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. The organization also met with local and international humanitarian officials, human rights defenders, community leaders, journalists, and political analysts, and analysed satellite imagery and photographs related to specific documented incidents. Amnesty International wrote to the Myanmar civilian government and military, and to four ethnic armed groups, outlining the organization’s findings, requesting information, and expressing readiness to discuss the situation in northern Shan State. At the time of publication, none had replied..."
Source/publisher: "Amnesty International" (UK) (ASA 16/1142/2019)
Date of publication: 2019-10-24
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-31
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Size: 1.25 MB (44 pages)
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Title: Myanmar: Military atrocities ‘relentless and ruthless’ in northern Shan State
Description: "“The Myanmar military is as relentless and ruthless as ever, committing war crimes against civilians in northern Shan State with absolute impunity,” said Nicholas Bequelin, Amnesty International’s Director for East and Southeast Asia. “Soldiers – and more importantly commanders – are subjecting civilians to the military’s hallmark brutality in the absence of any form of accountability.” Amnesty International documented war crimes and other military violations against ethnic Kachin, Lisu, Shan, and Ta’ang civilians during two field missions to the region in March and August 2019. Civilians who spoke to Amnesty International repeatedly implicated the military’s 99th Light Infantry Division (LID) in many of the violations. Units from the 99th LID were implicated in some of the worst atrocities against the Rohingya in Rakhine State since August 2017, as well as in war crimes and other serious violations in northern Myanmar in 2016 and early 2017. “Wherever the 99th Light Infantry Division is deployed we see similar patterns of abuse and the commission of horrific crimes unfold. This highlights the urgency of international action to hold Myanmar’s military – not least its senior generals – accountable.”..."
Source/publisher: "Amnesty International" (UK)
Date of publication: 2019-10-24
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-31
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Rohingya Shun Repatriation to Myanmar, Want Safety Guarantee
Sub-title: No Rohingya Muslims staying in crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh turned up for a planned repatriation to Myanmar because they want to be guaranteed safety and citizenship first.
Description: "COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh (AP) — None of the thousands of Rohingya Muslims living in crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh turned up for a planned repatriation to Myanmar on Thursday, demanding they first be guaranteed safety and citizenship. "Not a single Rohingya wants to go back without their demands being met," Bangladesh refugee commissioner Abul Kalam told reporters. More than 700,000 Rohingya fled across the border to Bangladesh after Myanmar's military began a harsh counterinsurgency campaign against them two years ago, a campaign that involved mass rapes, killings and the burning of homes. A U.N.-established investigation has recommended top generals be prosecuted over the crackdown. Rohingya Muslims have long demanded that Myanmar give them citizenship, safety and their own land and homes they left behind. The Buddhist-majority nation has refused to recognize Rohingya as citizens or even as one of its ethnic groups, rendering them stateless, and they also face other forms of state-sanctioned discrimination. Myanmar had cleared more than 3,000 refugees from more than 1,000 families as eligible for repatriation and said the operation to return them would begin Thursday. Kalam said none of the 295 families interviewed by the Bangladesh government and the U.N. refugee agency had agreed to return to Myanmar. "I'll go to Myanmar only if I have citizenship. Otherwise they will shoot and burn us," 26-year-old Abdul Hossain told The Associated Press. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her government will not force the refugees to return and the repatriation will only happen if they are willing..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Associated Press" (USA) via US News (USA)
Date of publication: 2019-08-22
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Hundreds Flee Burma Army, TNLA Clashes in Namhsan
Description: "Nearly 700 local villagers have fled their homes in recent days as the Burma Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) continue to clash in northern Shan State’s Namhsan Township despite unilateral ceasefires declared by both sides in the conflict. According to Shan State MP U Thein Zaw, internally displaced persons (IDPs) are flooding into the town of Namhsan to escape the latest outbreak of violence. “There are 369 displaced villagers staying at Zayanggyi Monastery in Namhsan, and there are more at Phayagyi Monastery. A total of nearly 700 villagers have already arrived in Namhsan,” Thein Zaw told NMG. The sudden influx has created an urgent need for food and other basic necessities, he added. “They need food, medicine, clothing and shelter. They couldn’t bring their blanket or clothes, so the IDPs have to sleep on the ground in the monastery. But what they need most of all is food,” he said. So far, he said, local people and civil society organizations have provided some food and other aid to the IDPs at Zayanggyi Monastery, but those staying at Phayagyi Monastery have yet to receive any assistance..."
Source/publisher: "Network Media Group" (Thailand)
Date of publication: 2019-09-16
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Hundreds of Villagers Flee Kutkai Fighting
Description: "More than 400 people have fled their homes due to clashes near Kon Hser village in Kutkai Township, northern Shan State. Forces belonging to the Burma Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) engaged in fighting near the community on September 24, leading to the displacement of locals. Tin Win, who works for the Garuna Social Volunteer Team in Kutkai town, said that over 130 Kon Hser villagers have sought refuge in Mangton village, and villagers from the communities of Law Moong, Mang Aie, and Per Ju are staying in monasteries and churches in Kutkai Township. The total number of people, he added, exceeded 400. “Clashes intensified yesterday. I heard the sound of heavy weapons firing this morning. Now it’s stable,” Tin Win told SHAN on Wednesday. The internally displaced people are in need of food aid and drinking water. Maj Tar Aik Kyaw, who is in charge of the TNLA’s information department, told SHAN that there were no battles in Kutkai Township as of Wednesday, but that the Burma Army was continuing to fire on the TNLA..."
Source/publisher: "Shan Herald Agency for News" (Myanmar) via "BNI Multimedia Group" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2019-09-27
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar IDPs Lack Food and Accommodation After Shan State Attacks
Topic: IDPs, Northern Alliance, Northern Shan State, Ta’ang National Liberation Army, Tatmadaw, TNLA
Topic: IDPs, Northern Alliance, Northern Shan State, Ta’ang National Liberation Army, Tatmadaw, TNLA
Description: "Over 100 people from Kong Sa Village who were displaced by clashes in Kutkai Township in northern Shan State say they are short of food and lack proper accommodation. They fled to Mengtung Village after the Tatmadaw (Myanmar army) clashed with the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) near their village on Sept. 24. “They are 40 households and 141 people in total. They are staying at the monastery. And it is not suitable for them all to sleep together. They also need food,” said Mai Ai Kham, manager of the Mengtung camp for internally displaced people (IDPs). The IDPs are short of food. They do not dare go outside the village because they fear landmines, said Sai Bu from Kutkai who is assisting IDPs in Mengtung. “They are very short of food. They need basics like rice, oil, salt and onions. There are landmines around the village and it is not even safe to collect firewood. Provision of groceries will help them,” she told The Irrawaddy. Over 500 people from three villages are also taking shelter at churches in the areas, she added..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
Date of publication: 2019-09-27
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Forced Displacements and Destroyed Lives around Upper Paunglaung Dam in Shan State, Myanmar
Description: Introduction: "For nearly four decades, Myanmar (also known as Burma) was ruled by military-led governments that committed grave human rights violations, resulting in international economic sanctions against the country for many years.1 Beginning in 2012, however, after the liberalization of some governmental policies, Western nations lifted these sanctions. In an effort to gain ground on countries like China and India that had maintained economic ties with Myanmar during the time of the sanctions, a number of states?including Australia, Canada, Japan, the United States, and many European countries ?increased development aid and allowed their businesses to operate in Myanmar for the first time in decades. This investment has been touted as a way to improve economic conditions for the people of Myanmar, one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia, following years of government mismanagement, corruption, and economic sanctions that destroyed the country?s economy.2 While the opening in Myanmar has allowed foreign investment to soar and made new capital available for plantations, logging, special economic zones, deep sea ports, hydroelectric dams, and mining concessions, all of these types of projects have been associated with unlawful land confiscations from individuals and communities with little or no compensation. Economic development projects in Myanmar are causing widespread displacement and are having devastating impacts on those communities living in project locations, including human rights violations and adverse effects on livelihoods, food security, and health. For those subjected to unlawful evictions and land grabs, the consequences are dire, driving many people into poverty. Government policy has encouraged the development of these projects, and weak and unclear land policies, including some new land laws written to support investment and economic growth, have provided the government, military, and businesses with legal cover to confiscate people?s land without a transparent process for determining and awarding compensation. In the following report, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) builds on its previous research on land confiscations in Myanmar by using an epidemiological survey tool to assess the human rights, livelihood, and health impacts on communities displaced by the reservoir created by Paunglaung dam in southern Shan state..."
Source/publisher: Physicians for Human Rights
Date of publication: 2015-10-00
Date of entry/update: 2015-10-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 512.91 KB
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Title: An Unseen Crisis
Description: Summary: "Increased troop deployment, attacks and abuses by the Burma Army in northern Shan State during the past year have caused large-scale new displacement of Palaung villagers, calling into question the Burmese government?s claims to be seeking a peaceful settlement to the ethnic conflict. The number of Burmese government troops in Palaung areas of northern Shan State has doubled from 16 to over 30 battalions during 2013. Attacks and abuses by these troops have caused the fresh displacement of over 3,000 mostly Palaung villagers in the past year, who are now sheltering in four new camps in Namtu, Tangyan and Kutkhai townships. This is a fourfold in crease since late 2012, when PWO documented about 1,000 IDPs sheltering in three camps in Namkham and Manton town- ships. The military build-up is clearly linked to the government?s attempts to secure its large-scale investment projects in the area, including the Shwe oil and gas pipelines, which started sending gas to China in June 2013. Offensives have been ongoing against local ethnic resistance groups, in cluding the Shan State Army North (SSA-N), the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), and the Ta?ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). Burma Army shelling of villages, burning of homes and property, forced portering, torture and sexual violence have caused new displacement of over 20 villages during the past year. The offensives have continued despite ongoing ceasefire negotiations between the Burmese government and the ethnic armed groups. The TNLA met with the Myanmar Peace Center, led by U Aung Min on July 31, 2013, in Muse, northern Shan State, but the Burma Army launched new attacks against TNLA in Kutkhai and Kyaukmae only eleven days afterwards. There is insufficient humanitarian aid reaching the IDP camps. Aid agencies provided basic assistance to IDPs in Kutkhai an d Tangyan when they first fled, but since then there has been no regular support of rice or other food. The IDPs are forced to find work as daily labourers to feed their families, but there is little work available. Shortages of food have exacerbated health problems in the camps, but there has been almost no medical aid..."
Source/publisher: Ta?ang Women?s Organization (TWO)
Date of publication: 2014-02-25
Date of entry/update: 2014-12-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.76 MB
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Title: Pipeline Nightmare (English and Burmese မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Description: "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. Moreover, the report documents cases in 6 target cities and 51 villages of human rights violations committed by the Burmese Army, police and people?s militia, who take responsibility for security of the pipeline. The government has deployed additional soldiers and extended 26 military camps in order to increase pressure on the ethnic armed groups and to provide security for the pipeline project and its Chinese workers. Along the pipeline, there is fighting on a daily basis between the Burmese Army and the Kachin Independence Army, Shan State Army ? North and Ta?ang National Liberation Army in Namtu, Mantong and Namkham, where there are over one thousand Ta?ang (Palaung) refugees. ?Even though the international community believes that the government has implemented political reforms, it doesn?t mean those reforms have reached ethnic areas, especially not where there is increased militarization along the Shwe Pipeline, increased fighting between the Burmese Army and ethnic armed groups, and negative consequences for the people living in these areas,” said Mai Amm Ngeal, a member of TSYO. The China National Petroleum Corporation and Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise have signed agreements for the Shwe Pipeline, however the companies have not conducted any Environmental Impact Assessments or Social Impact Assessments. While the people living along the pipeline bear the brunt of the effects, the government will earn an estimated USD$29 billion over the next 30 years. ?The government and companies involved must be held accountable for the project and its effects on the local people, such as increasing military presence and Chinese workers along the pipeline, both of which cause insecurity for the local communities and especially women. The project has no benefit for the public, so it must be postponed,” said Lway Phoo Reang, Joint Secretary (1) of TSYO. TSYO urges the government to postpone the Shwe Gas and Oil Pipeline project, to withdraw the military from Shan State, reach a ceasefire with all ethnic armed groups in the state, and address the root causes of the armed conflict by engaging in political dialogue."
Source/publisher: Ta?ang Students and Youth Organization (TSYO)
Date of publication: 2012-11-07
Date of entry/update: 2012-11-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 2.03 MB 1.44 MB
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Title: The Burden of War - Women bear burden of displacement
Description: Executive Summary: "Worsening conflict and abuses by Burmese government troops in northern Shan State have displaced over 2,000 Palaung villagers from fifteen villages in three townships since March 2011. About 1,000, mainly women and children, remain in three IDP settlements in Mantong and Namkham townships, facing serious shortages of food and medicine; most of the rest have dispersed to find work in China. Burmese troops have been launching offensives to crush the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Ta-ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N), to secure control of strategic trading and investment areas on the Chinese border, particularly the route of China?s trans-Burma oil and gas pipelines. In rural Palaung areas, patrols from sixteen Burma Army battalions and local militia have been forcibly conscripting villagers as soldiers and porters, looting livestock and property, and torturing and killing villagers suspected of supporting the resistance. This has caused entire villages to become abandoned. Interviews conducted by PWO in September 2012 show that the burden of displacement is falling largely on women, as most men have fled or migrated to work elsewhere. The ratio of women to men of working age in the IDP camps is 4:1. Women, including pregnant mothers, had to walk for up to a week through the jungle to reach the camps, carrying their children and possessions, and avoiding Burmese army patrols and landmines. Elderly people were left behind. Little aid has reached the IDP settlements, particular the largest camp housing over 500 in a remote mountainous area north of Manton, where shortages of water, food and medicines are causing widespread disease. Mothers are struggling to feed their families on loans of rice from local villagers, and have taken their daughters out of school. Some women have left children with relatives and gone to find work in China. PWO is calling urgently for aid to these IDPs, and for political pressure on Burma?s government to end its military offensives and abuses, pull back troops from conflict areas, and begin meaningful political dialogue to address the root causes of the conflict."
Source/publisher: Palaung Women?s Organization
Date of publication: 2012-11-03
Date of entry/update: 2012-11-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.72 MB
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Title: Charting the Exodus from Shan State: Patterns of Shan refugee flow into northern Chiang Mai province of Thailand 1997-2002
Description: "This report gives quantitative evidence in support of claims that there has been a large influx of Shans arriving into northern Thailand during the past 6 years who are genuine refugees fleeing persecution and not simply migrant workers. This data was based on interviews with 66,868 Shans arriving in Fang District of northern Chiang Mai province between June 1997 and December 2002, The data shows that almost all the new arrivals came from the twelve townships in Central Shan State where the Burmese military regime has carried out a mass forced relocation program since March 1996, and where the regime?s troops have been perpetrating systematic human rights abuses against civilian populations. Higher numbers of arrivals came from townships such as Kunhing where a higher incidence of human rights abuses has been reported. Evidence also shows increases in refugee outflows from specific village tracts directly after large-scale massacres were committed by the regime?s troops..."
Source/publisher: Shan Human Rights Foundation via Shan Herald Agency for news
Date of entry/update: 2010-12-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: 10,000 Shans uprooted, 500 houses burned in Burmese regime?s latest scorched earth campaign
Description: 10,000 Shans uprooted, 500 houses burned in Burmese regime?s latest scorched earth campaign (press release)... Map of villages forcibly relocated... Summary of villages forcibly relocated... Images of the Burmese regime?s latest scorched earth campaign
Source/publisher: Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF), Shan Women?s Action Network (SWAN), Shan Relief and Development Committee, Shan Sapawa Environmental Organisation, Shan Youth Power, Shan Health Committee
Date of publication: 2009-08-13
Date of entry/update: 2010-11-29
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Dispossessed
Description: A report on forced relocation and extrajudicial killings in Shan State, Burma. Since the publication of "Uprooting the Shan," the report by the SHRF detailing the forced relocation program carried out by the SLORC in Shan State during 1996, the SLORC military regime (recently renamed the State Peace and Development Council or SPDC) has been continuing to uproot more villages throughout 1997 and early 1998. Many of the relocation sites that were the results of 1996 relocations have been forced to move again. Human rights abuses such as mass killings, rape, torture and looting have been committed repeatedly by the SPDC troops against the displaced population. This has prompted the need to publish this updated report, containing more complete lists and maps of the relocated villages, and detailing the many extrajudicial killings committed by the military regime in the areas of relocation. We hope that this report will give a clearer picture to the international community of the devastating effects of the forced relocation program on the population of Central Shan State. KEYWORDS: forced resettlement, forced relocation, forced movement, forced displacement, forced migration, forced to move, displaced
Source/publisher: Shan Human Rights Foundation
Date of publication: 1998-04-00
Date of entry/update: 2010-11-25
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Myanmar: Atrocities in the Shan State
Description: The last two years have seen a profound deterioration in the human rights situation throughout the central Shan State in Myanmar. Hundreds of Shan civilians caught in the midst of counter-insurgency activities have been killed or tortured by the Burmese army. These abuses, occurring in a country which is closed to independent monitors, are largely unknown to the outside world. Denial of access for human rights monitors and journalists means that the full scale of the tragedy can not be accurately calculated. Therefore the information presented below represents only a part of the story.
Source/publisher: Amnesty International (ASA 16/05/98)
Date of publication: 1998-04-15
Date of entry/update: 2010-07-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Roots and Resilience - Tasang dam threatens war-torn Shan communities
Description: ?The report ?Roots and Resilience” by the Shan Sapawa Environment Organization focuses on the ecologically unique area of Keng Kham, a community of 15,000 that was forcibly relocated over ten years ago; the majority have fled to Thailand. Today the estimated 3,000 that remain are managing to maintain their livelihoods and culture despite the constant threats of the Burma Army and the impending Tasang dam. Indigenous Shan cultural practices, river-fed farms, sacred cave temples and pristine waterfalls are depicted in photos from this isolated war-zone, together with updated information about the dam project, which has been shrouded in secrecy. The 7,110 MW Tasang Dam is the biggest of five dams planned on the Salween River; the majority of the power from the dam will be sold to Thailand. Project investors include the Thai MDX Company and China?s Gezhouba Group Company. Thailand?s support for the controversial dam was recently reiterated when the project was included in its national Power Development Plan. Military tension has escalated in recent months in Shan State as the Burmese regime has been putting pressure on the United Wa State Army to transform into a ?Border Guard Force.” Abuses linked to anti-insurgency campaigns are also on the rise.?
Source/publisher: Shan Sapawa Environmental Organization
Date of publication: 2009-07-00
Date of entry/update: 2009-10-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Thai
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 1.79 MB 4.67 MB
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Title: Displacement and disease: the Shan exodus and infectious disease implications for Thailand
Description: Abstract: "Decades of neglect and abuses by the Burmese government have decimated the health of the peoples of Burma, particularly along her eastern frontiers, overwhelmingly populated by ethnic minorities such as the Shan. Vast areas of traditional Shan homelands have been systematically depopulated by the Burmese military regime as part of its counter-insurgency policy, which also employs widespread abuses of civilians by Burmese soldiers, including rape, torture, and extrajudicial executions. These abuses, coupled with Burmese government economic mismanagement which has further entrenched already pervasive poverty in rural Burma, have spawned a humanitarian catastrophe, forcing hundreds of thousands of ethnic Shan villagers to flee their homes for Thailand. In Thailand, they are denied refugee status and its legal protections, living at constant risk for arrest and deportation. Classified as ?economic migrants,” many are forced to work in exploitative conditions, including in the Thai sex industry, and Shan migrants often lack access to basic health services in Thailand. Available health data on Shan migrants in Thailand already indicates that this population bears a disproportionately high burden of infectious diseases, particularly HIV, tuberculosis, lymphatic filariasis, and some vaccine-preventable illnesses, undermining progress made by Thailand?s public health system in controlling such entities. The ongoing failure to address the root political causes of migration and poor health in eastern Burma, coupled with the many barriers to accessing health programs in Thailand by undocumented migrants, particularly the Shan, virtually guarantees Thailand?s inability to sustainably control many infectious disease entities, especially along her borders with Burma."
Creator/author: Voravit Suwanvanichkij
Source/publisher: Conflict and Health 2008, 2:4
Date of publication: 2008-03-14
Date of entry/update: 2008-04-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 169.63 KB
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Title: RUNNING THE GAUNTLET: THE IMPACT OF INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT IN SOUTHERN SHAN STATE
Description: "The plight of Burma's internally displaced persons has largely been overlooked by the international community and the Burmese government itself. Villagers in the country's war zones nevertheless have suffered for decades the adverse effects of conflict. For some, displacement has become a way of life and a multi-generational phenomenon. Displacement wherever it occurs profoundly changes the persons forced to move. People lose belongings, jobs, and loved ones. The case of the internally displaced in southern Shan State is no different. In this report, the Humanitarian Affairs Research Project documents the impact displacement has had on civilians in southern Shan State and the living conditions in the various places to which they fled. The report builds successfully on the work of other local research groups and adds updated information and perspective to the study of Burma's internally displaced. It will be a valuable addition to policy makers, academics, and anyone concerned about the fate of the people of Shan State. One lesson clearly emerging from the report is that the IDPs in southern Shan State clearly are in need of protection and assistance. More needs to be done and it needs to be done now. The Burmese government as well as other domestic and international actors should consider carefully the ways in which this important goal can be accomplished. This report offers some recommendations that can help to set the actors on the right path..."....This document contains a Shan version of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. Since this is an image file of almost 2MB, OBL has produced the whole document, with GP; the Guiding Principles as a separate document; and the English text without GP.
Creator/author: GARY RISSER, OUM KHER, SEIN HTUN
Source/publisher: Humanitarian Affairs Research Project, Asian Research Center for Migration, Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University
Date of publication: 2004-01-00
Date of entry/update: 2005-09-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English and Shan
Format : pdf pdf pdf
Size: 2.88 MB 1006.8 KB 1.9 MB
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Title: Exiled at Home: Continued Forced Relocations and Displacement in Shan State
Description: Continued Forced Relocations and Displacement in Shan State. "This report aims to provide a picture of the current situation in central Shan State, where the military junta ruling Burma has forcibly uprooted and destroyed over 1,400 villages and displaced well over 300,000 people since 1996. This campaign against civilians is still continuing after 4 brutal years, leaving much of the Shan population homeless. In this report, some of the villagers who both lived in relocation sites and hid in the jungle to avoid relocation describe their experiences. Further background and detail on the campaign to uproot the Shan can be found in the previous Karen Human Rights Group reports "Killing the Shan" (KHRG #98-03, 23/5/98) and "Forced Relocation in Central Shan State" (KHRG #96-23, 25/6/96), which are available online at this web site or by request from KHRG, and in the April 1998 report "Dispossessed: Forced Relocation and Extrajudicial Killings in Shan State" by the Shan Human Rights Foundation." ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: forced resettlement, forced relocation, forced movement, forced displacement, forced migration, forced to move, displaced
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group Regional & Thematic Reports (KHRG #2000-03)
Date of publication: 2000-04-05
Date of entry/update: 2003-06-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Killing the Shan: The Continuing Campaign of Forced Relocation in Shan State (Information Update)
Description: "This report aims to provide a picture of the current situation in central Shan State, where the military junta ruling Burma has forcibly uprooted and destroyed over 1,400 villages and displaced over 300,000 people since 1996. This campaign against civilians is still continuing, and the number of villages destroyed is increasing each month. In this report, some of the villagers who have fled in 1997 and 1998 describe their experiences. Further background and detail on the campaign to uproot the Shan can be found in the previous Karen Human Rights Group report "Forced Relocation in Central Shan State" (KHRG #96-23, 25/6/96), and in the April 1998 report "Dispossessed: Forced Relocation and Extrajudicial Killings in Shan State" by the Shan Human Rights Foundation ..." ..... ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: forced resettlement, forced relocaton, forced movement, forced displacement, forced migration, forced to move, displaced
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group Regional & Thematic Reports (KHRG #98-03)
Date of publication: 1998-05-23
Date of entry/update: 2003-06-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Unsettling Moves: The Wa forced resettlement program in Eastern Shan State
Description: "Beginning 1999 up to March this year (2002), hundreds of thousands of Wa people, who had impressed British travelers as ?exceedingly well-behaved, industrious, and estimable race?, were forcibly moved to border areas adjacent Thailand. The report is about them, why and how they were uprooted, what happened to the native people where the Wa were forced to resettle and what the reader can do to help both categories of victims..." Important, timely and well-produced document, complete with maps and photos.
Source/publisher: Lahu National Development Organization
Date of publication: 2002-04-00
Date of entry/update: 2003-06-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 2.55 MB
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