The ruling military junta has made a dramatic u-turn in policy, issuing a new directive to civilians in Shan State South as well as its own civil servants to pull out all the Jatropha curcas plants they ordered to be planted and to substitute them with teak and tea plantations, local sources report.

[Photo: Ethnic Community Development Forum]

The order was passed earlier this year, said a source.  The changes in accordance with the new directive have been taking place in Shan State South’s Panglong, Loilem, Langkhurh and Kunhing townships and Mongton township in Shan State East.

“We were ordered to pull out all the jatropha plants and to cultivate tea. Some areas were ordered to cultivate teak,” said a villager in Kali, Kunhing.

Each village tract in Kunhing township was ordered to provide 50 people to join the said tea plantation project each day. People who failed to comply with the order must pay a Kyat 5,000 ($5) fine each, she said.  

Panglong and Loilem townships were told to plant tea while the rest were told to cultivate both tea and teak.  

The military regime in 2005 started a massive program to grow bio-fuel crops with the direction of Sen-Gen Than Shwe in order to produce bio-diesel. But most of the bio-fuel crop plantations have failed.

However, some in Burma allege that the policy has been based on astrology and the belief that the program will calm the uprising by means of “yadaya” spell annulment to neutralize Aung San Su Kyi’s power.

[Photo: Ethnnic Community Development Forum]

According to traditional practice in Burma, when there is a bad omen or prophecy, one can avoid misfortunes by performing any number of rituals or spells referred to as “yadaya”.   This practice, the get gin nyay, works on the principle that the utilization of a diametrically opposed name can neutralize an enemy’s powers.    The Burmese name for the Jatropha is jet suu, or Monday-Tuesday in astrological denotation.  Aung San Suu Kyi’s name, pronounced suu-jee can be said to mean Tuesday-Monday and can therefore be cancelled out by the planting of the crop, according to a report “Unmasking Burma’s bio-energy fiasco”, published by the Ethnic Community Development Forum in 2008.

But Mongton township was reported to have been ordered to cultivate mango, eucalyptus and ironwood plants, according to sources from the area.

In Mongton township, 246 acres of Jatropha has been planted by the Tank Battalion 6003 alone since 2006, but only 30 acres have been reported to have succeeded to date. According to sources, every village has been ordered to find the replacement plants themselves.

Some environmentalists say that the ecological environment in some parts of Burma do not favor Jatropha curcas plantation, resulting in poor quality cultivation and insufficient quantity.

“It is like when they forced us to cultivate the planted Jatropha,” said a villager in Panglong.

She recalled that at the time the junta ordered each person from each household had to join in with the Jatropha curcas plantation, those who refused to do so or who failed to do as were fined Kyat 5,000 ($1). Failing that, they had to hire a person at the rate of Kyat 1,500 (US$ 1.31) per day to join plantation on behalf of them.

“I am wondering why they are changing things every time. They forced us to cultivate Jatropha and now tea and teak. I think they are going crazy.”

“However, we can’t say anything. We just have to do as they [authorities] say.  They don’t care what people are saying,” said another resident.

Kantarawadddy Time also reported that similar incidents also took place in Karenni State and that villagers and civil servants from every rank were told to take out their plantations as well.