MYANMAR: Increasing Displacement As Fighting Resumes in the East
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MYANMAR: Increasing displacement as fighting resumes in the east A profile of the internal displacement situation 29 January, 2010 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 OVERVIEW.......................................................................................................................9 INCREASING DISPLACEMENT AS FIGHTING RESUMES IN THE EAST .......................................... 9 CAUSES AND BACKGROUND ..................................................................................... 17 POLITICAL BACKGROUND ................................................................................................. 17 RENEWED FIGHTING AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN EASTERN MYANMAR FOLLOWING NEW BORDER GUARD FORCES POLICY (NOVEMBER 2009)......................................................... 17 SPDC'S ROAD MAP TO DEMOCRACY MOVES FORWARD DESPITE CRITICISM (NOVEMBER 2009) ........................................................................................................................................ 18 ETHNIC MINORITIES AND DEVELOPMENTS WITH THE NATIONAL CONVENTION (NOVEMBER 2007)............................................................................................................................... 20 SEPTEMBER 2007 DEMONSTRATIONS AND POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS (DECEMBER 2007) ... 22 INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL RESPONSE (JANUARY 2008) ..................................................... 22 POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS (MARCH 2007) ........................................................................ 23 1990 ONWARDS: THE MILITARY REGIME SEEKS CEASEFIRES, BUT TIGHTENS ITS GRIP (2006)25 SINCE 1988, THE MYANMAR GOVERNMENT HAS LAUNCHED MASSIVE MILITARY CAMPAIGNS AGAINST ETHNIC INSURGENT GROUPS (JUNE 2005)............................................................ 28 GENERAL CAUSES OF DISPLACEMENT ............................................................................... 30 CONFLICT DISPLACEMENT IN MYANMAR (OCTOBER 2009) .................................................. 30 CAUSES OF DISPLACEMENT IN MYANMAR (NOVEMBER 2007) ............................................. 32 LAND CONFISCATION IS WIDESPREAD (FEBRUARY 2007) .................................................... 33 DEVELOPMENT INDUCED DISPLACEMENT ........................................................................... 34 DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS COULD CONTRIBUTE TO DISPLACEMENT (OCTOBER 2009) .......... 34 DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS LEAD TO FORCED RELOCATION AND FORCED LABOUR (OCTOBER 2006)............................................................................................................................... 36 TOURISM PROJECTS HAVE DISPLACED THOUSANDS TO SATELLITE TOWNS (OCTOBER 2004) 39 MAIN CAUSES OF DISPLACEMENT IN URBAN AREAS............................................................ 39 DISPLACEMENT IN URBAN AREAS ON THE DECREASE, BUT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS FORCIBLY RELOCATED DURING THE 1990S (FEBRUARY 2007) ............................................ 39 DISPLACEMENT AS A RESULT OF CONSTRUCTION OF NEW CAPITAL (NOVEMBER 2007) ........ 41 URBAN DISPLACEMENT ONGOING (APRIL 2008).................................................................. 41 MAIN CAUSES OF DISPLACEMENT IN THE BORDER AREAS ................................................... 42 ARMY OFFENSIVES AGAINST ETHNIC OPPOSITION GROUPS HAVE CAUSED MASSIVE DISPLACEMENT OF THE CIVIL POPULATION SINCE THE LATE 1960S (JANUARY 2005) ............ 42 FORCED RELOCATION IS CLOSELY LINKED TO FORCED LABOUR (AUGUST 2005) .................. 44 SINCE 1998 ILO HAS DOCUMENTED A PERVASIVE USE OF FORCED LABOUR IN BURMA (SEPTEMBER 2005) .......................................................................................................... 47 FORCED RECRUITMENT OF CHILD SOLDIERS A CAUSE FOR DISPLACEMENT (AUGUST 2005).. 51 RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION IN BURMA'S BORDER AREAS ON THE RISE (AUGUST 2005)........... 52 SHAN STATE .................................................................................................................... 52 DISPLACEMENT CONTINUING IN SHAN STATE (OCTOBER 2009) .......................................... 52 3 HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS CAUSING DISPLACEMENT IN SHAN STATE (OCTOBER 2007)...... 53 SHAN STATE: MASSIVE FORCED RELOCATION DUE TO ARMED STRUGGLE (OCTOBER 2005) . 55 SHAN STATE: RESETTLEMENT OF 128,000 WA CAUSED FURTHER DISPLACEMENT (FEBRUARY 2004)............................................................................................................................... 56 SHAN STATE: THOUSANDS DISPLACED DUE TO MILITARY OPERATIONS DURING 2005 (DECEMBER 2005)............................................................................................................ 58 NEW RELOCATION ORDERS ISSUED IN EASTERN SHAN STATE (MARCH 2006) ...................... 59 KAREN STATE .................................................................................................................. 60 KAREN CIVILIANS EXPERIENCING CONTINUOUS CYCLES OF DISPLACEMENT (OCTOBER 2009) ........................................................................................................................................ 60 WORST OFFENSIVE IN 10 YEARS IN KAREN STATE DISPLACING THOUSANDS (MAY 2007) ..... 62 KAREN STATE: THE KAREN HAVE BEEN SUBJECT TO REPEATED DISPLACEMENT (JUNE 2005)64 HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AND FORCED EVICTIONS REPORTED IN PA'AN AND THATOON DISTRICTS OF THE KAREN STATE (DECEMBER 2006) .......................................................... 66 KAREN STATE: REPORTS ABOUT DISPLACEMENT IN THE TOUNGOO, NYAUNGLEBIN AND PAPUN DISTRICTS DURING 2006 (NOVEMBER 2006) ..................................................................... 66 KAREN STATE: THOUSANDS DISPLACED DURING 2004 - 2005 DESPITE INFORMAL CEASEFIRE (DECEMBER 2005)............................................................................................................ 70 KAREN STATE: DEMANDS FOR FORCED LABOUR HAS INCREASED IN SEVERAL DISTRICTS (JUNE 2005)............................................................................................................................... 73 KARENNI STATE ............................................................................................................... 76 CONFLICT AND DEVELOPMENT LEADING TO DISPLACEMENT IN KAYAH/KARENNI STATE (OCTOBER 2009).............................................................................................................. 76 DISPLACEMENT IN KARENNI STATE (OCTOBER 2007)......................................................... 78 KARENNI STATE: LARGE-SCALE DISPLACEMENT OF CIVILIANS SINCE THE 1990S (OCTOBER 2006)............................................................................................................................... 78 KARENNI STATE: REPORTS OF DISPLACEMENT BETWEEN 2004 - OCTOBER 2006)................ 79 MON STATE...................................................................................................................... 81 MON CIVILIANS CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ARMY AND INSURGENT GROUPS (OCTOBER 2009)............................................................................................................................... 81 DESPITE CEASEFIRE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS LEADING TO DISPLACEMENT (NOVEMBER 2007)..............................................................................................................................