In April 2006, members of the Karenni community sought assistance from ERI’s Burma Project in training Karenni activists for fact-finding missions. Karenni State will bear the brunt of the impact of the planned Salween Dams on the Thai-Burma border; the Karenni people will be heavily impacted, and some local ethnic groups will face the loss of most or all of their traditional lands as well as important archaeological and cultural sites. The Salween Dams will completely submerge all of the sacred land, cultural heritage, livelihood, homes, and forests of the Yintalai, a tribe with only approximately 1,000 people remaining in the world.

After releasing their report “Dammed by Burma’s Generals”, the Karenni activist group wanted to collect more detailed information to strengthen their understanding of the difficult experiences of people living near the Baluchang hydropower project. The activists want to show the world how the people of the Salween River basin will suffer from what the military government calls “development”. In concert with 9 Karenni community organizations, collectively known as the Karenni Development and Research Group, we organized a fact-finding workshop for 15 activists from different community groups. We explored general field research skills, interview techniques, and other skills vital for understanding the small ethnic groups most endangered by the Salween projects. Several of the trainees are currently on fact-finding missions inside Burma, gathering valuable information in defense of human rights, the environment and indigenous peoples’ rights.

Following the training in March-April 2006, the Karenni Women’s Organization also sought our help in combating another dam. This project particularly focus on hydro power development near the new Burmese capital NaypyiTaw on Paung Laung River. This dam will be the second dam along Paung Laung River. The planned dam will be a great threatens to the La Taw, an ethnic group along the river. Burma Project staff member, Naing Htoo, conducted a 3-day workshop focusing on fact finding skills and interview techniques, as well as basic knowledge on photographing. Among the 12 participants in the training, all of whom planned to travel inside and gather information on the groung, were 7 young women.

The training also focused on photo documentation and in mid-2008, a video documentation called "Damning the Yin Ta Lai" was produced.

Training for Health Workers in the MaeTao Clinic - 2005 Mae Sot, Thailand

During 2005, health workers at the Mae Tao Clinic based in Mae Sot sought assistance from ERI’s Burma Project and Alumni Program to organize a series of workshops for Burmese health workers, exploring the profound impact that human rights and environmental abuses have on human health. It became apparent to the health workers that the major public health issues faced in many areas in Burma are closely linked to human rights abuses by the Burmese military government and its policies regarding natural resources development projects.

The workshops offered these workers knowledge of human rights and environmental issues happening in their areas of Burma, and the ways in which these issues are linked to the health problems that they deal with on a daily level. It also helped to give the health workers a “big picture” view that improves the effectiveness of their work and helps them to contribute to protect the people whose rights are abused. For most participants, this was the first time they had explored these issues.

The sessions were held at Dr. Cynthia Maung’s world-renowned Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot on the Thai-Burmese border, and facilitated by ERI’s own experienced trainers Ann Putnam, Naing Htoo, Khin Nanda and Carol Ransley. ERI conducted three trainings, each of which was a 5-day session exploring pressing topics such as health-related human rights abuses like forced sterilization, and how best to provide health care to victims of rights abuses. Participants also explored issues at the intersection of law, human rights and the environment, learning holistic perspectives for addressing public health problems. About 20-25 health workers participated in each training session, gaining invaluable skills and new approaches to some of the most urgent rights issues in Burma.

This series of workshops was one of our major training successes. The sessions started with a basic discussion of human rights and the environment, and then introduced the concept of earth rights. It is vital that our participants understand the link between human wellbeing and a safe and sustainable environment. As an example, we discussed the impact that Mae Moe mining in Thailand has had on the environment and human welfare. Participants shared their experiences regarding the health issues that they deal with daily at their clinics and similarities to what they had learned.

Following from this, as a group the participants also strategized about what could be done to find solutions to these problems. The workshops provoked all participants to think about broader ways of protecting impacted people, always emphasizing the vast importance of a sound environment for strong human health.