Text Box: Destruction and Degradation of the Burmese Frontier Forests Text Box: # Text Box: the north of the KIO and NDA-K controlled territories. Social problems in logging areas Villagers are often unaware about the problems from logging because of a lack of education. The word ‘development’ is attractive to them. Many businessmen make use of this, and promise to build schools, hospitals, and churches to get their cooperation. Another method for enticing villagers to give up their forest is the promise of electricity for lighting. Again, the result is deforestation, leading to: not enough clean water, water shortages for farming, scarcity of firewood and of trees and bamboo used in house construction, and increasingly irreversible environmental changes. Deforestation affects not only the forest, but also the social structure of Kachin life. Kachin used to live in collective ways, supporting each other. They did not need much money to travel since the structure of social relations extended throughout the villages. Any two Kachins were always in a kind of sharing family relationship with each other, considering everyone else cousin or brother, aunt or uncle. This beautiful and valuable social structure is now disappearing as a consequence of mining and logging. The state of mind, manner, and behaviour has changed among the young Kachins. Kachin culture is being further eroded because of the immigration of thousands of Chinese workers, many of whom entice and marry Kachin girls, often met in Chinese karaoke bars where the girls work as waitresses. Who benefits from the logging? Chinese and Kachin business Chinese businessmen clearly benefit the most from the logging. They are present in all aspects of the business. Chinese workers use chainsaws which are not available to the Kachins. Kachins are not employed for loading the trucks. The workers are paid piece-wages. For instance, in Sampai area a businessman called Wu Leng pays workers 25-30 Yuan for each ton of logs cut, and Y 35-40 for one loaded

Dum Bau and Prang Ngawng Villages

 

(1)        In these villages controlled by the KIO, a logging concession and electricity supply agreements have been signed with Chinese companies. The forest concession is four square kilometers. Logging activities started on November 24, 2002, three days after the concession was issued. At first, only large trees were logged. Now trees as thin as a Pepsi bottle are also logged for charcoal.

(2)        There are 24 households and 117 persons in Dum Bau Village. Among them 20 percent are young people; mostly students. Most have to leave school because they cannot afford the costs. The villagers cultivate paddy-fields. Some people do not own but rent their land. All households have small gardens to grow vegetables. People also collect vegetables and mushrooms from the forests and sell them in the market. There are many kinds of bamboo (ora, mai seng, u law, mai hka, mai hpyu, mai dading) in the forests. The shoots of many species are edible. There are many kinds of wild animals, but people seldom hunt them.

(3)        Dum Bau village can be reached after passing a KIA logging check point. There is a timber factory  situated in a long and narrow valley by the village. There are no carpenters or skilled persons to manage business in the villages, therefore the villages cannot start their own sawmill. This situation compelled them to sell forestland to a Chinese company in exchange for electricity.

(4)        One high ranking KIA officer owns a large fish pond. There is a hydro-electric generator operating just to supply the fish pond and the farm.

(5)        Prang Ngawng village is adjacent to Dum Bau Village. Villagers get electricity from China via Mai Ja Yang and Loije. Villagers pay for the electricity and the Chinese government maintains the supply. The villagers feel that the electric power is over-priced. There is no meter box.

(6)        There is enough water and suitable elevation to build hydro-electric generators to supply electricity to both Dum Bau and Prang Ngawng villages. However since the local Kachins lack skill in the operation and maintenance of the generators, they chose the alternative of buying electricity from China. 

(7)        At the time of research (April 2003), wooden posts for electric cables were erected by the Chinese company. Villagers proposed to provide the posts, but the Chinese company did not agree and will charge for the posts at a higher price.

A 3

B 1