Villagers facing forced relocation by the Burmese junta are in a helpless situation and have made a fervent plea for action from every organization including armed groups to halt the Myitsone Dam construction.
The leaders opposing forced relocation in Myitsone Irrawaddy dam construction site have fled to the Sino-Burma border after facing arrest by the regime. No one is helping those opposing the project.
The leader of the Village Solidarity Committee (VSC) formed with 13 members aimed to resist forced relocation from Tang Hpre village near the Irrawaddy Myitsone Dam project fled to the border after being chased by junta officials.
“We would like to urge every organization abroad to help, and raise their voice on our behalf because only from outside is it possible to speak out not from inside,” said the leader.
They VSC member fled from their village because the group was organizing villagers trying to stay on and refusing to move and the junta is hounding them in connection with the bomb blasts because they are opposing the project, said the leader.
“The situation has worsened after the bomb explosions for they arrested and investigated almost all villagers and this kind of action (a bomb trap) is beyond our imagination,” said the leader.
They also spoke to the Myitkyina Christian Council (MCC) leader Rev. Zung Kyang to help them to stop the hydropower project but he refused to help, a villager said, “He (leader of the MCC) said I can’t do anything because opposing is useless.”
The junta including Pa-La-Na-based Infantry Battalion No. 29, the Military Intelligence (Sa-Ya-Hpa), police, Special Branch of Police (S.B), Township Peace and Development Council (Ma-Ya-Ka) and army officers arrested and investigated Tang Hpre villagers regarding the April 17 bomb blasts in Myitsone dam construction project.
The junta has announced rewards for anyone giving information on the perpetrators of the blasts and released the sketch of a suspect and continues arresting hundreds of local Kachin ethnic people.
Last night the authorities arrested over 50 Kachin youths including the leader of Kachin Nationals Consultative Assembly (KNCA), which represents all Kachins in Burma, from their homes in Myitkyina.
“Now we have no choice, if they (junta) tell us to stay we will stay if they tell us to shift we will move,” said a resident of another village near the dam project.
Kachin Baptist and Roman Catholic Churches' followers in Tang Hpre village are resisting the junta's intimidation for relocation. Photo: Kachin News Group.
The junta has announced relocation in May of all villages around the construction site. They ordered over 1000 civilian workers from Myitkyina and Waingmaw township to force the villagers to shift with help from the militia and arranged for the security of the workers.
The resident said, before the bomb blasts they could express their problem in front of any military officials either from Naypyitaw or Myitkyina but after the explosions some villagers of Tang Hpre could not even travel outside their village without permission from the junta.
“We would like to call all armed groups who represent Kachin people to stand together to halt the project,” said the VSC leader.
He accused the Lasang Awng Wa ceasefire group, which has transformed to people’s militia group and the New Democratic Army Kachin- NDAK led by Zahkung Ting Ying, which transformed to the Border Guard Force of taking lucrative business deals from the junta instead of helping the suffering civilians.
Lasang Awng Wa and NDAK-Zahkung Ting Ying have been permitted by the junta to take natural resources, including gold and timber from Myitsone to Shang Ngaw areas.
