Media Release from Kachin National Organization – UK
Today, the Kachin Community in UK are holding a protest against forced relocation of villagers due to the Myitsone Irrawaddy dam project, and against the arrest of Kachin youth the regime accuses of resisting the dams.
Since 28th May, 63 households from Mazup Mare village near the Myitsone dam site have been forced to relocate by the Burmese military. Villagers are forced to relocate in many ways including threats of punishment if they refuse to leave. Despite local people voicing their clear opposition to the dam projects and relocations, the forced relocations are continuing. Members of the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) and Army officers aggressively forced villagers to move out of their properties. Any villagers who refuse their order are forcibly evicted, with their belongings were thrown out of houses and fruits farms were destroyed by bulldozers.
The 50-storey-tall mega Myitsone dam which will produce 6,000 MW of power for export to China is the first in a series of seven dams in Nmai Hka River and Mali Hka River. Over 60 villages, approximately 15,000 people are in the process of being forcibly relocated without consent. The dam is being constructed by China’s State-owned China Power Investment (CPI) and Myanmar’s Ministry of Electric Power.
Arrests of Kachin youths began in midnight raids of homes on May 23, and continued for days. More than 50 local Kachin youths and villagers from Myitkyina, have now been arrested, interrogated, and tortured by police and military intelligence. Some have falsely been accused of involvement in bombs blasts at the dam site. Meanwhile villagers and others youth are now in hiding and some are fleeing in fear of arrest.
“The forced relocations and mass arrests of Kachin youths shows the true nature of military regime, and these kind of actions will continue even after regime’s 2010 election”, said Gun Tawng, a chairman of Kachin National Organization UK.
The Kachin Community in UK demands the military junta to stop forced relocations, stop the arrests, and release all the innocent Kachin youths immediately and unconditionally.
The demonstration is at 12 noon today in front of the Burmese Embassy in London.
For more information, please contact Gun Tawng, Chairman of Kachin National Organization UK on +44 759 576 3340 and Seng Pan, Communications Officer of Kachin National Organization UK on +44 785 326 7022.