According to villagers, the road cuts through people’s fences and houses without compensation.

This big project violates local people’s rights, because the people lived there before the project started. Before starting the project, they should inform the people and compensate those impacted,” said a youth from northern Shan State.

He added, “We have filed a complaint to a political party, but so far no response.”

A local villager said, “One household’s land was confiscated by the Tatmadaw (Burma Army), and then the villagers had to buy land back from Tatmadaw, then the Tatmadaw issued the land certificate for them.”

According to the Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF), there were over 20,000 people from over 60 villages impacted from the 100 km long highway that links Burma’s town of Hsenwi to the town of Kunlong and connects to Yunnan, China.

Asia World Company is the contractor building the highway from Hsenwi to Kunlong and on to the Kunlong mega-dam project on the Salween River.