NGOs call for review of Kayin State mega-projects

He said all the projects’ financial supporters, including Thailand, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), should re-evaluate their approaches to ensure they are conflict-sensitive.

 “They should align their strategy according to recent political developments on the ground in order to reduce risks to their investment and reputations. Such projects should wait until a full peace agreement can be reached, democratic rights guaranteed and a decentralised federal Union is achieved,” he said.

 Saw Kyaw Zwar also underscored the importance of transparency in the implementation of the projects.

 “Road projects have the potential to bring benefits to rural communities in Kayin State, but only if implemented in a democratic and transparent manner. In reality, these roads are being built in conflict zones, where massive displacement has already occurred. Information is withheld from local communities and civil society, and villagers are vulnerable to human rights violations,” he said.

 According to KPSN, the road project in question has long been mired in controversy. Promoted as a crucial link within Asian Highway 1 (AH1), which would span more than 20,000 kilometres from Tokyo to Istanbul, highway construction in Kayin State has been accompanied by land confiscation, forced labour, and militarisation. Previously delayed by conflict, the project was revived in 2012, after ceasefire agreements were signed between Karen armed groups and the Myanmar Army, and quickly completed with US$38 million in funding from the Thai government.

 The highway project is also a critical link in the East-West Economic Corridor, a flagship project of the Greater Mekong Subregion programme under the ADB, which is currently preparing to loan $100 million to the Myanmar government to upgrade an adjoining section of the highway from Kawkareik to Eindu, where villagers also fear land confiscation.

 Saw Kyaw Zwar considers peacebuilding the key to the completion of the projects. He also expressed concerns over recent fighting between the Myanmar Army and the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army along the recently-completed section of the Asian Highway between Myawaddy and Kawkareik.

 He urged all parties to halt hostilities and resolve issues related to the highway through dialogue under the peace process instead of through force, and to allow access for NGOs to provide humanitarian assistance to the affected areas. He added that civil society and local communities should be actively engaged throughout the peace process and the highway project.

Saw Tha Phoe, coordinator of Karen Environmental & Social Action Network, shares a similar view. He urged the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand to withdraw its investment from the Hatgyi Dam Project in Kayin State.

 He added that civil society groups have noticed the construction of new roads near the Hatgyi Dam, which is located about 47 kilometres from the Thai-Myanmar border.

 “We have discovered that the implementation process is ongoing in the project area. This kind of behaviour can harm negotiations for peacebuilding with ethnic armed groups. In the past, we faced many difficulties because of the war. By the time the people living there began to see a ray of hope for peace after decades of hurdles, they are likely to face another big challenge when they are forced to relocate because of the dam project,” he said.

 “Their lives will be put in danger because their education levels are not high enough for them to earn a living. They do not know how to earn their living if they are forcibly relocated to a place with which they are not familiar. As many families will definitely face very hard times throughout their lives, we strongly disagree with the implementation of dams on the Thanlwin River, including the Hatgyi Dam.”