Kuki women and students denounce Burmese government's violent crackdown on peaceful Chindwin river protection ceremony
10 April 2012
(Press release by the Kuki Women's Human Rights Organisation (Burma) and the Kuki Students' Democratic Front (Burma) )
The Kuki Women's Human Rights Organisation (KWHRO) and the Kuki Students' Democratic Front (KSDF) strongly denounce violence by government authorities against village leaders who joined a peaceful prayer ceremony on the Chindwin River in Northwest Burma to mark the International Day of Action for Rivers.
On March 16, 2 days after the ceremony at Leivomjang, the site of the planned Tamanthi dam on the Chindwin River, authorities from Burma's capital Naypyidaw including military personnel summoned about 8 leaders from local villages to Homalin township office, where they were interrogated and some were beaten. They were also forced to sign that they would not take part in any such events in the future.
The ceremony on March 14 had been attended by about 150 people from 30 villages, who are concerned at the impacts of the Tamanthi Dam, a joint India-Burma project to export electricity to India. The dam will flood an area the size of Delhi, displacing over 45,000 people and blocking water flows to millions downstream. Over 2,400 villagers were forcibly relocated in 2007 from the dam site.
"Sending thugs from Naypyidaw to beat up villagers for praying shows that Burma's government has not changed," said Nga Ngai of KWHRO. "Violence is still the norm for investment projects in Burma."
KWHRO and KSDF are calling on the Indian government and India's NHPC Limited to pull out immediately from the Tamanthi dam project, to prevent further damage to their reputations.
The Chindwin is the largest tributary of the Irrawaddy River and is so far undammed.
For further information on the Tamanthi dam project, see KWHRO report Stop Damming the Chindwin on
www.burmariversnetwork.org
* This Press Release was sent by Burma Centre Delhi (BCD) , who can be contacted at office(at)burmacentredelhi(dot)org
This announcement was posted on April 10, 2012.
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