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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