The Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) announces that “Displacement
and Poverty in South East Burma/Myanmar” is now available for download
from http://www.tbbc.org/resources/resources.htm#idps
TBBC has been collaborating with community based organisations to
document conditions in South East Burma/Myanmar since 2002. This report
seeks to increase awareness about the scale of poverty and displacement
at a critical juncture in the nation’s history. During the past two
years, apart from interviewing key informants in fifty townships to
assess the scale of forced displacement, poverty assessments have been
conducted with over 2,600 households in fourteen townships. Estimates of
displacement were guided by international standards and the poverty
assessment was developed in consultation with humanitarian agencies
based in Rangoon/Yangon to ensure that vulnerability indicators are
standardised.
The paradox of democratic reform coinciding with an escalation of
conflict in border areas has been due to both domestic attempts to
expand the national armed forces’ (the Tatmadaw’s) command structure and
regional interests in resource extraction. Ceasefire agreements in
Karen, Shan, Mon and Kachin States collapsed due to orders for non state
armed groups to give up their political aspirations and transform into
Border Guard Forces under the Tatmadaw’s control. Major economic deals
have simultaneously been negotiated with Asian neighbours for
mega-development projects in ethnic areas, but the lack of transparency
and consultation with local communities has aggravated tensions.
TBBC’s partner agencies have documented the destruction, forced
relocation or abandonment of more than 3,700 civilian settlements in
South East Burma/Myanmar since 1996, including 105 villages and hiding
sites between August 2010 and July 2011. This survey estimates at least
112,000 people were forced to leave their homes during the past year,
which is more than any other year on record. While some fled into
Thailand and others returned to former villages or resettled elsewhere,
over 450,000 people currently remain internally displaced in the south
eastern region. This is not a cumulative figure of everyone who has been
displaced in the past decade, but rather a conservative estimate of the
current scale of internal displacement covering the rural areas of 50
townships.
The highest rates of displacement during the past year were recorded in
central Karen State’s border areas with Thailand, central Shan State and
the northern Karen areas. A breakaway faction of the Democratic Karen
Buddhist Army (DKBA) resumed armed resistance in November 2010, and the
resulting conflict led to the displacement of over 27,000 people from
Myawaddy and surrounding townships. After the Tatmadaw broke a 22 year
ceasefire agreement and resumed military offensives against the Shan
State Army-North (SSA-N) in March 2011, over 31,000 civilians fled from
their homes across 10 townships. A further 28,000 civilians have been
displaced from northern Karen State and eastern Pegu Region as a result
of hydro-electric dams and counter-insurgency operations targeting
civilians to undermine the Karen National Union (KNU).
Poverty alleviation has been recognised by the new government as a
strategic priority for human development. While official figures
estimate that a quarter of the nation live in poverty, this survey
suggests that almost two thirds of households in rural areas of South
East Burma/Myanmar are unable to meet their basic needs. Impoverishment
is particularly severe in the conflict-affected townships of Kyaukgyi
and Shwegyin in Pegu/Bago Region and Thandaung in Karen/Kayin State.
Comparative analysis with household surveys conducted by the World Food
Program suggest that that standards of living in rural areas of the
South East are similar to conditions in Northern Rakhine State and far
worse than those those reported from the central Dry Zone.
As a result of protracted conflict and militarization, the majority of
subsistence livelihoods in South East Burma/Myanmar are not sustainable
and disposable income levels are too small to adequately supplement food
supplies. A quarter of households reported having no cash income during
the previous month while only one in six households have reliable
sources of income. Food security indicators suggest that two out of
three households have poor access to food, an inadequate diet and were
in debt primarily due to food shortages. These outcomes correlate with
limited access to agricultural land and productive assets and reflect
the collapse of household economies.
It remains to be seen how quickly and effectively the new government
will be able to tackle poverty, but there has not yet been any
relaxation of restrictions on humanitarian access into conflict-affected
areas. In this context, the vast majority of foreign aid continues to be
channelled into areas not affected by armed conflict areas such as the
Irrawaddy/Ayeyarwady Delta, the Dry Zone and Rakhine State. While
responding to demonstrated needs, such engagement is building trust with
authorities and supporting advocacy for increased humanitarian space
throughout the country. Until this confidence building process
translates into access, cross-border aid will continue to be vital to
ensure that the needs of civilians who are affected by conflict in the
South East and cannot be reached from Yangon are not further marginalised.
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Regards
Duncan McArthur
Emergency Relief Coordinator, Thailand Burma Border Consortium
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