Myanmar (Burma)
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MYANMAR (BURMA): No end in sight for internal displacement crisis A profile of the internal displacement situation 14 February, 2008 This Internal Displacement Profile is automatically generated from the online IDP database of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). It includes an overview of the internal displacement situation in the country prepared by the IDMC, followed by a compilation of excerpts from relevant reports by a variety of different sources. All headlines as well as the bullet point summaries at the beginning of each chapter were added by the IDMC to facilitate navigation through the Profile. Where dates in brackets are added to headlines, they indicate the publication date of the most recent source used in the respective chapter. The views expressed in the reports compiled in this Profile are not necessarily shared by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. The Profile is also available online at www.internal-displacement.org. About the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, established in 1998 by the Norwegian Refugee Council, is the leading international body monitoring conflict-induced internal displacement worldwide. Through its work, the Centre contributes to improving national and international capacities to protect and assist the millions of people around the globe who have been displaced within their own country as a result of conflicts or human rights violations. At the request of the United Nations, the Geneva-based Centre runs an online database providing comprehensive information and analysis on internal displacement in some 50 countries. Based on its monitoring and data collection activities, the Centre advocates for durable solutions to the plight of the internally displaced in line with international standards. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre also carries out training activities to enhance the capacity of local actors to respond to the needs of internally displaced people. In its work, the Centre cooperates with and provides support to local and national civil society initiatives. For more information, visit the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre website and the database at www.internal-displacement.org. Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre Norwegian Refugee Council Chemin de Balexert 7-9 1219 Geneva, Switzerland Tel.: +41 22 799 07 00 [email protected] www.internal-displacement.org 2 CONTENTS CONTENTS 3 OVERVIEW 9 NO END IN SIGHT FOR INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT CRISIS 9 CAUSES AND BACKGROUND 17 POLITICAL BACKGROUND 17 SEPTEMBER 2007 DEMONSTRATIONS AND POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS (FEBRUARY 2008) 17 INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL RESPONSE (FEBRUARY 2008) 17 ETHNIC MINORITIES AND DEVELOPMENTS WITH THE NATIONAL CONVENTION (FEBRUARY 2008) 18 POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS (MARCH 2007) 20 1990 ONWARDS: THE MILITARY REGIME SEEKS CEASEFIRES, BUT TIGHTENS ITS GRIP (2006) 22 SINCE 1988, THE MYANMAR GOVERNMENT HAS LAUNCHED MASSIVE MILITARY CAMPAIGNS AGAINST ETHNIC INSURGENT GROUPS (JUNE 2005) 25 GENERAL CAUSES OF DISPLACEMENT 26 CAUSES OF DISPLACEMENT IN BURMA (FEBRUARY 2008) 26 GENERAL CAUSES OF DISPLACEMENT IN BURMA (FEBRUARY 2007) 27 LAND CONFISCATION IS WIDESPREAD (FEBRUARY 2007) 28 DEVELOPMENT INDUCED DISPLACEMENT 29 CONSTRUCTION OF GAS PIPELINE AND DAMS COULD CONTRIBUTE TO DISPLACEMENT (FEBRUARY 2008) 29 DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS LEAD TO FORCED RELOCATION AND FORCED LABOUR (OCTOBER 2006) 30 TOURISM PROJECTS HAVE DISPLACED THOUSANDS TO SATELLITE TOWNS (OCTOBER 2004) 32 MAIN CAUSES OF DISPLACEMENT IN URBAN AREAS 33 DISPLACEMENT AS A RESULT OF CONSTRUCTION OF NEW CAPITAL (FEBRUARY 2008) 33 DISPLACEMENT IN URBAN AREAS ON THE DECREASE, BUT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS FORCIBLY RELOCATED DURING THE 1990S (FEBRUARY 2007) 33 MAIN CAUSES OF DISPLACEMENT IN THE BORDER AREAS 35 ARMY OFFENSIVES AGAINST ETHNIC OPPOSITION GROUPS HAVE CAUSED MASSIVE DISPLACEMENT OF THE CIVIL POPULATION SINCE THE LATE 1960S (JANUARY 2005) 35 FORCED RELOCATION IS CLOSELY LINKED TO FORCED LABOUR (AUGUST 2005) 37 SINCE 1998 ILO HAS DOCUMENTED A PERVASIVE USE OF FORCED LABOUR IN BURMA (SEPTEMBER 2005) 40 FORCED RECRUITMENT OF CHILD SOLDIERS A CAUSE FOR DISPLACEMENT (AUGUST 2005) 44 RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION IN BURMA'S BORDER AREAS ON THE RISE (AUGUST 2005) 45 SHAN STATE 45 DISPLACEMENT ONGOING IN SHAN STATE (FEBRUARY 2008) 46 3 SHAN STATE: MASSIVE FORCED RELOCATION DUE TO ARMED STRUGGLE (OCTOBER 2005) 47 SHAN STATE: RESETTLEMENT OF 128,000 WA CAUSED FURTHER DISPLACEMENT (FEBRUARY 2004) 48 SHAN STATE: THOUSANDS DISPLACED DUE TO MILITARY OPERATIONS DURING 2005 (DECEMBER 2005) 50 NEW RELOCATION ORDERS ISSUED IN EASTERN SHAN STATE (MARCH 2006) 51 KAREN STATE 52 WORST OFFENSIVE IN 10 YEARS IN KAREN STATE DISPLACING THOUSANDS (FEBRUARY 2008) 52 KAREN STATE: THE KAREN HAVE BEEN SUBJECT TO REPEATED DISPLACEMENT (JUNE 2005)53 HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AND FORCED EVICTIONS REPORTED IN PA'AN AND THATOON DISTRICTS OF THE KAREN STATE (DECEMBER 2006) 55 KAREN STATE: REPORTS ABOUT DISPLACEMENT IN THE TOUNGOO, NYAUNGLEBIN AND PAPUN DISTRICTS DURING 2006 (NOVEMBER 2006) 56 KAREN STATE: THOUSANDS DISPLACED DURING 2004 - 2005 DESPITE INFORMAL CEASEFIRE (DECEMBER 2005) 60 KAREN STATE: DEMANDS FOR FORCED LABOUR HAS INCREASED IN SEVERAL DISTRICTS (JUNE 2005) 63 KARENNI STATE 66 DISPLACEMENT IN KARENNI STATE (FEBRUARY 2008) 66 KARENNI STATE: LARGE-SCALE DISPLACEMENT OF CIVILIANS SINCE THE 1990S (OCTOBER 2006) 67 KARENNI STATE: REPORTS OF DISPLACEMENT BETWEEN 2004 - OCTOBER 2006) 68 MON STATE 70 DESPITE CEASEFIRE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS LEADING TO DISPLACEMENT (FEBRUARY 2008) 70 MON STATE: LAND CONFISCATION AND DEMANDS FOR FORCED LABOUR LEAD TO DISPLACEMENT (OCTOBER 2006) 70 MON STATE: HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS CONTINUE UNABATED (DECEMBER 2005) 74 OTHER STATES 74 TENASSERIM (TANINTHARYI) DIVISION: FORCED RELOCATION DURING THE 1990S DIRECTLY LINKED TO CONSTRUCTION OF GAS PIPELINES (OCTOBER 2005) 74 EASTERN PEGU DIVISION: FORCED RELOCATION IS THE MAIN CAUSE OF DISPLACEMENT (OCTOBER 2006) 76 KACHIN STATE: LAND CONFISCATION LEADS TO DISPLACEMENT (JUNE 2005) 78 INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT IN THE CHIN STATE AND NAGALAND (FEBRUARY 2004) 80 RAKHINE STATE: CONFISCATION OF LAND AND ESTABLISHMENT OF "MODEL VILLAGES" LEADS TO NUMEROUS CASES OF FORCED EVICTIONS AND RELOCATIONS (JUNE 2003) 82 POPULATION OF ARAKAN (RAKHINE) STATE VULNERABLE TO VIOLATIONS AND FORCED DISPLACEMENT (FEBRUARY 2008) 84 RAKHINE (ARAKAN) STATE: HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AGAINST THE ROHINGYA POPULATION IS INCREASING (FEBRUARY 2007) 85 RAKHINE (ARAKAN) STATE: HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AGAINST THE ROHINGYA POPULATION IS INCREASING (DECEMBER 2005) 89 POPULATION FIGURES AND PROFILE 93 GLOBAL FIGURES 93 ESTIMATES OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS IN BURMA (FEBRUARY 2008) 93 4 THAILAND BURMESE BORDER CONSORTIUM (TBBC) ESTIMATES OF IDPS IN EASTERN BURMA IN 2007 (FEBRUARY 2008) 94 NO NATIONAL ESTIMATE EXISTS FOR THE TOTAL NUMBER OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED IN BURMA (FEBRUARY 2007) 95 THAILAND BURMA BORDER CONSORTIUM ESTIMATES AT LEAST 500,000 IDPS IN EASTERN BURMA AS OF OCTOBER 2006 97 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 100 DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF THE INTERNALLY DISPLACED POPULATION IN EASTERN BURMA (OCTOBER 2004) 100 SHAN STATE: LEAST 163,000 IDPS IN 2007 (FEBRUARY 2008) 101 KARENNI STATE: 81,000 IDPS IN 2007 (FEBRUARY 2008) 103 KAREN STATE: 116,900 IDPS IN 2007 (FEBRUARY 2008) 104 MON STATE: 49,400 IDPS IN 2007 (FEBRUARY 2008) 106 TENASSSARIM DIVISION: 61,000 IDPS IN 2007 (FEBRUARY 2008) 107 EASTERN PEGU DIVISION: NUMBER OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED KAREN AS OF OCTOBER 2006 107 PATTERNS OF DISPLACEMENT 109 GENERAL 109 TWO THIRDS OF THE DISPLACED ARE UNABLE TO FIND A DURABLE SOLUTION (OCTOBER 2005) 109 CEASEFIRE AREAS HOST THE BIGGEST NUMBER OF IDPS (FEBRUARY 2008) 109 AN ESTIMATED 99,000 CIVILIANS ARE HIDING IN THE MOST MILITARY CONTESTED AREAS (FEBRUARY 2008) 110 AN ESTIMATED 109,000 IDPS ARE LIVING IN RELOCATION SITES (FEBRUARY 2008) 111 DISPLACEMENT PATTERNS BY STATE OR DIVISION 114 PATTERNS OF DISPLACEMENT IN THE KAREN STATE (DECEMBER 2005) 114 PHYSICAL SECURITY & FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT 117 PROTECTION NEEDS OF CIVILIANS IN CONFLICT AREAS 117 IDPS REMAIN VULNERABLE TO LANDMINES (FEBRUARY 2008) 117 LANDMINES ARE USED EXTENSIVELY BOTH BY THE BURMESE ARMY AND INSURGENT ARMIES (DECEMBER 2006) 119 ETHNIC MINORITY WOMEN FACE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS (FEBRUARY 2008) 121 DISPLACED WOMEN SUFFER FROM ARMY'S WIDESPREAD USE OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN THE SHAN STATE AND OTHER CONFLICT AREAS (OCTOBER 2005) 122 DELIBERATE VIOLENCE AGAINST CIVILIANS REMAINS A SERIOUS THREAT IN CONFLICT ZONES (OCTOBER 2005) 125 MILITARY RECRUITMENT IS THE BIGGEST RISK FACING CHILDREN IN CONFLICT AREAS (OCTOBER 2005) 125 REPORTS DOCUMENT HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN RELOCATION SITES (AUGUST 2003) 125 LACK OF PROTECTION FOR RETURNING REFUGEES 126 CONCERNS OVER SAFETY OF REFUGEES FORCIBLY REPATRIATED FROM THAILAND (MARCH 2003) 127 VOLATILE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION FACING RETURNING ROHINGYAS IN THE RAKHINE (ARAKAN) STATE (JUNE 2003) 128 5 SUBSISTENCE NEEDS 129 GENERAL 129 FIELD VISITS DOCUMENT THAT INTERNALLY DISPLACED IN HIDING SITES SUFFER FROM SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS AND HUNGER (APRIL 2004) 129 INTERNALLY DISPLACED IN EASTERN BURMA ARE EXTREMELY VULNERABLE (OCTOBER 2004) 130 KAREN DISPLACED DURING ARMY ATTACKS IN NOVEMBER- DECEMBER 2004, FACED DIRE HUMANITARIAN CONDITIONS (DECEMBER 2004) 130 HEALTH 131 MALARIA LEADING CAUSE OF IDP DEATHS IN EASTERN BURMA (FEBRUARY 2008) 131 THE HEALTH SITUATION IS CATASTROPHIC IN CONFLICT AFFECTED AREAS (SEPTEMBER 2006) 132 HIV/AIDS PARTICULARLY AFFECTS THE CONFLICT ZONES (OCTOBER 2005) 134 THE SITUATION FOR INTERNALLY DISPLACED