Deep in the wilds of northern Myanmar's Kachin state a brutal civil war has intensified over the past year between government forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

People & Power sent filmmakers Jason Motlagh and Steve Sapienza to Myanmar (formerly Burma) to investigate why the conflict rages on, despite the political reforms in the south that have impressed Western governments and investors now lining up to stake their claim in the resource-rich Asian nation.

Key developments since May 2004: Myanmar"atrocity demining") was reported in 2004-2005, as in previous years. No humanitarian mine clearance has taken place in Burma. No military or village demining has been reported since May 2004. At a UNHCR seminar in November 2004, the mine threat was identified as one of the most serious impediments to the safe return of internally displaced persons and refugees. Mine risk education is carried out by NGOs on an increasing basis, in refugee camps and within other assistance efforts.

This report is based on information submitted by community members in March 2013 describing events occurring in Papun District in February 2013. On February 11th 2013, a landmine exploded in K'Ter Tee village tract, Dwe Lo Township, Papun district. A total of five villagers were killed in the explosion, three of whom were under the age of 18. The villagers were hit by the landmine while transporting sand in a car for the Green Hill Company, a company affiliated with BGF Battalions #1013 and #1014. The group who planted the landmine is unknown.

Three of the country’s four offshore gas fields are to be shut down in April “for annual maintenance”, according to a senior official with Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise...The Yadana, Yetagun and Zawtika gas fields are to be halted for about a week each at the end of April, said the official, who is an offshore director but declined to be named.

“We have negotiated with PTT [the gas buyer] for gas exports, and with the Ministry of Electric Power for domestic supply, to arrange a shutdown of the gas fields for maintenance,” he said yesterday.

This report includes a situation update submitted to KHRG in May 2011 by a villager describing events occurring in Dweh Loh Township, Papun District between January and April 2011. It contains information concerning military activities in 2011, specifically resupply operations by Border Guard and Tatmadaw troops and the reinforcement of Border Guard troops at Manerplaw.

For as long as anyone can remember, the road from Kawkareik in Kayin State to the Thai border has only been passable in one direction at a time. One day, traffic goes "up" from southern Myanmar's hinterland; the next it goes "down" from Myawaddy -- the busiest trade post on the Thai-Myanmar frontier. Myawaddy is just opposite the Thai town of Mae Sot.

Data compiled by Landmine Monitor. This map does not indicate
how extensive mine pollution is in any indicated Township.
Explosive symbol denotes townships in which antipersonnel
mines have claimed casualties between 1 January 2007 to 1
June 2009. All other data 1 January 2008 to 1 June 2009.

The governance of natural resources used by many individuals in common is an issue of increasing concern to policy analysts. Both state control and privatisation of resources have been advocated, but neither the state nor the market have been uniformly successful in solving common pool resource problems. Offering a critique of the foundations of policy analysis as applied to natural resources, Elinor Ostrom here provides a unique body of empirical data to explore conditions under which common pool resource problems have been satisfactorily or unsatisfactorily solved.

Abstract: The most significant land problems in Burma remain those associated with landlessness, rural poverty, inequality of access to resources, and a military regime that denies citizen rights and is determined to rule by force and not by law. A framework to ensure the sustainable development of land is needed to address social, legal, economic and technical dimensions of land management. This framework can only be created and implemented within and by a truly democratic nation.

For more than 60 years, Karen rebels have been fighting a civil war against the government of Myanmar...In February 1949, members of the Karen ethnic minority launched an armed insurrection against Myanmar's central government.
In pictures: Sixty years of war.

Over 60 years later, the conflict continues, with more than a dozen ethnic rebel groups waging war against the army in their fight for self-rule.

Now, the war is entering a new and bloody stage.

#039;Capitalizing on Conflict' presents information illustrating how trade in timber, gems,
and gold is financing violent conflict, including widespread and gross human rights
abuses, in Burma. Although trade in these “conflict goods” accounts for a small
percentage of the total global trade, it severely compromises human security and
undermines socio-economic development, not only in Burma, but throughout the
region.
Ironically, cease-fire agreements signed between the late 1980s and early 1990s

[N.B. Only the 1st 2 and the last document were accessible, 30 July 2015] .....
National Land Use Policy 6th Draft (English Version)
English Version(6th draft).pdf...
ဆဌမအကွိမျ မွအေသုံးခမြှု မူဝါဒမူကွမျး (မွနျမာ)
myanmar version (6th draft).pdf...
ESIA (English) PartI...
ESIA (Englsih)PartI.pdf...
ESIA Letpadaung-Summary-Myanmar font...
ESIA Letpadaung-Summary-Myanmar font.pdf...
ESIA OF LETPADAUNG PROJECT ON NOV 21ST BY KNIGHT PIESOLD 2883 PAGES...