Escalation of Civil War in Burma Necessitates Immediate Halt to Salween Dam Plans

Following recent heavy fighting in northern Shan State, all the planned Salween dam sites in Burma now lie directly in active conflict zones. The Salween Watch Coalition is therefore demanding an immediate halt to all plans […]

Chinese and Korean Gas and Oil Projects Linked to Land Confiscations, Violations of Indigenous Rights, Torture, and Corruption in Burma (Myanmar)

Leading multinational companies from China, South Korea, and India have begun construction of massive oil and gas pipelines across Burma that are connected to widespread land confiscation, violations of indigenous rights, cases of arbitrary arrest, detention and torture, and forced labor, according to a new publication released today by EarthRights International (ERI). ERI is calling on the oil companies involved in the pipelines to immediately postpone their operations, and for the Burmese authorities to enact a moratorium on development in the oil, gas, mining, and hydropower sectors until preconditions for responsible investment are in place and the people of Burma can meaningfully participate in development decisions […]

Stop Damming Burma’s Rivers

Burma Rivers Network is calling on foreign investors to immediately stop plans to build large dams on Burma’s major rivers and their tributaries, as these dams will have huge social and environmental impacts across the country, and fuel Burma’s decades-long civil war […]

Junta Launches Covert Dam Offensive in Karenni State

Engineers are secretly surveying for dams planned by China hydropower giant Datang on the Salween and its tributaries in Karenni State under the armed guard of Burma’s junta, according to local researchers.

The Karenni Development Research Group (KDRG) launched today a campaign publication exposing how three planned dams proceeding in secret will block waterways across the state, tightening the junta’s control and causing further widespread disruption to the war-torn population […]

KNU Update on Impacts Resulting from Hatgyi Dam Construction

On August 4th, 2009 we, the KNU, issued a statement concerning the Hatgyi dam construction project. In the statement, we called upon the countries investing in construction of the dam to withdraw their investment as the construction of the dam would cause massive damage to the environment and bring on widespread human rights violations against local populations in the form of burning down of villages, looting of property, crop destruction, killing of livestock, extortion of money, torture and killing of suspects, rape of women, forced relocation and forced labor by troops of the SPDC military dictatorship […]

Burma’s Largest Coal Project Poisons Communities Near Famed Inle Lake

Burma’s largest coal mine and coal-fired power plant, located thirteen miles from Burma’s famous Inle Lake in Shan State, are polluting waterways, threatening the health of local populations, and displacing villages, according to a report released today […]

Burma Rivers Network Welcomes NLD’s Concerns About Nationwide Impacts of Myitsone Dam

The Burma Rivers Network (BRN) welcomes the NLD’s recent statements that dams are being constructed in Burma without any consideration for the environment or for local residents, and that the Myitsone dam, the first on the Irrawaddy, will have negative impacts on the entire country […]

Communities Displaced Due to Flooding from Dam Project

Entire communities in northwestern Karen State have been displaced due to extensive flooding from a new dam project on the Shwe Gyin River […]

Port Project Raises Concerns About Rights, Environment

A new deep-sea port and special economic zone in Tavoy, southern Burma, will bring much-needed infrastructure to the military-ruled country and be a boon to regional trade, but will also present serious risks to the local population and environment, according to experts […]

New Dam in China Disrupts River Trade at Major Burma Border Crossing

A recently built hydropower dam on the Longjiang River in China’s Yunnan Province is causing severe disruption to thousands of villagers relying on cross-border trade in Burma’s northern Shan State, according to a new report by local Shan researchers[…]