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Fact finding and
planning on dam impact in Karenni state
April
2006, Mae Hong Son, Thailand
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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.
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| 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.
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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.
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