Karenni warns Japan

Karenni warns Japan: Abuses go hand in hand with assistance

The Karenni National Progress Party, one of the three main groups fighting against Rangoon, has today cautioned Japan to consider human rights issues before granting "humanitarian assistance" to Rangoon. 
"Before any assistance is given, we trust that the Japanese government will look closely at all aspects of the forced labor and human rights issues," counsels the letter written to Mr. Suto Nobuhiko, Director, Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives. 

It recalls that during the construction the Lawpita power plant in the Karenni State, also known as Kayah, by Japan, some 36 villagers were forced to move with no compensation and farmlands were confiscated by the authorities. "Whenever the Burmese authorities implement a project like these, locals will be forced to move or forced to work on them," says the message, pointing out that when the Mawchi mines, also in Karenni, were opened, some 80 villagers were forcibly relocated. 

In the case of the Lawpita power plant, it argues that all villagers living close to the power lines supplying electricity to Rangoon and Mandalay will be forced to act as guards. "This will be an extremely dangerous job, as over 10,000 land-mines are laid within 20 miles of the power plant," it says. 

Since last year, reports have been circulating that Japan is considering a grant of 3.5 billion Yen for the repair of the Baluchaung Hydroelectric Power Station # 2 in Lawpita that was built 4 decades ago. 

With regards to the NLD spokesman U Lwin's three conditions for extending aid to Burma: Transparency, Accountability and Monitoring, a senior member of the border-based Shan Women's Action Network has commented that the stated terms fell short of the mark. "He must have forgotten the main prerequisite: the consent of the local populace", she says.