A report from Physicians for Human Rights assessing the human rights, livelihood, and health impacts on communities displaced by the reservoir created by Paunglaung dam in southern Shan state.
The purpose of this research was to determine if human rights were violated during the displacement process and to measure the impacts of any such violations on the displaced population. Specifically, PHR examined whether the eviction process followed the two major international legal frameworks relating to evictions and displacements – the Guiding Principles on Internally Displaced Persons (Guiding Principles) and the Basic Principles and Guidelines on Development-based Evictions and Displacement (Basic Principles and Guidelines) – and the impacts of displacement on livelihoods, food security, and access to health care and water.
PHR found that both the Guiding Principles and the Basic Principles and Guidelines were not followed in the planning and construction of the Paunglaung dam, and that the flawed displacement process led to the loss of jobs and income as well as increased food insecurity, poverty, and limits on access to water. PHR also found high rates of depression and suicide among the displaced population. These findings contribute to a growing body of evidence that land confiscations for economic development projects are having devastating impacts on the livelihoods and health of the people of Myanmar.
Physicians for Human Rights