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![Text Box: Some internally displaced persons come to stay in other villages. But this causes a lack of farmland and problems for traditional rotational cultivation. Because of this, fields that used to lie fallow for seven to ten years are now cultivated regularly, and have diminished yields. This has happened everywhere in Mu Traw district. Fifteen years ago, in places such as Bue Thoe and Kweh Play mountain in Bue Thoe Township, and Ler Wah Ko mountain in Lu Thaw Township, there was no rotational cultivation. But now IDP's have to live in these areas and practice shifting cultivation, knowing that it will cause deforestation, and that the wild animals will come and destroy their paddies. But as one IDP said: "If we did not do cultivation in this area we will not survive." The Day Bu Noe village headman said: "In the past our families stayed in the village, but when the SPDC came we had to move into the forest. We had to practice shifting cultivation in the forest where we never cultivated before. We build shelters for our families in the same place where we cultivate the land." The Ler Htu Poe village headman said: "If the DKBA and SPDC soldiers did not burn down our village, cut down our fruit trees and try to kill and torture us, we would not have come to the reserve forest. In the past, Mu Traw district authorities did not allow us to do cultivation or cut down trees in the reserve forest. Also they did not allow people to kill wild animals, cut down canes, and cut down the forest or bamboo in the reserve forest. Since 1997, we have had to flee to the reserve forest and earn our living in this forest because of the DKBA and the SPDC. We cannot go back. If we didn't earn our living in this forest, we cannot survive. In the east of Bilin River, the area is meant to be a wildlife reservation area. But since 1997, we have had to live in that forest and use its resources".
A village elder from Dweh Loe village (Dweh Loe Township) said that "In 1998 the villagers had to face small insects that destroyed the paddies. So in that year paddies didn't grow well. We still have a similar problem but we don't know how to solve it. Villagers have to go to Pa Pun city to buy rice. Since 2000, some villagers work in logging to be able buy rice and other basic necessities. Some people cut down canes and sell it in Pa Pun. We have to earn our income in a difficult situation for survival."
Because of the civil war and logging, the villagers have to face many difficulties to survive. Some people become internally displaced and some become refugees in Thailand. Many are killed or die because of hunger, and some become disabled; some are separated from their families. Young people are becoming uneducated. Even though they want to study, they do not have any opportunities. The forests that the villagers use and depend on are becoming deforested from logging, and the forests that are protected from use (reserved areas) have to become the areas for internally displaced people to use as shelter and for survival.
Local peoples' concerns and possible solutions
The Klaw Hta village headman said: "The logging areas were moved step by step up to our village so all our big trees around our village that we kept for building materials were cut down. Before becoming a logging area there were many wild animals, various kinds of vegetable or plant species were growing, and the villagers could use the forest for their livelihoods. But now you cannot see wild animals and wild vegetables anymore. If the logging continues we are faced with many problems for our livelihoods in our future."
The spiritual elder of Maw Thay Du village: "In our village we did not allow people to cut down cane and cardamom to sell to other areas. But they could cut some types of cane to eat. We only allowed people to cut black canes to eat during times when we cleared the land for rotational cultivation and the rice harvest. Our great-grandparents said black cane has a spirit so they did not allow their children to cut or bring black cane to the village. If you cut it down to sell and bring it to the village, the spirit of the black cane will be disturbed and you will get sick with various kinds of illnesses, or may meet with natural disasters. In the sacred places where ashes are left of dead people we have to make sure that there is no fire. If there is fire in this area, the elders have to do a special ceremony with certain offerings. Now, because of you [the KESAN researcher] coming to tell us about the environment I have more energy to share and teach the young people about our traditional customs for the use of natural resources."
A villager from Mau Lay Ko village in Lu Thaw Township said: “Karen Office of Relief and Development (KORD) came and taught us about community development. We decided to plan to protect and conserve the forest around our village. We formed a](image095.gif)
