KPCC Statement on new Burma Army offensive in Hugawng Valley
1. On June 5, 2017, only days after the recent 21st Century Panglong Conference was completed, the Burma Army distributed leaflets by helicopter ordering thousands of Kachin State residents to flee their homes and farms in Hugawng Valley to make way for a military offensive claiming to stop illegal mining.
2. People from nine villages who have been farming this area or generations, have been uprooted, and have joined the over 100,000 Kachin displaced since the resumption of conflict six years ago. Given the experience of other people forced out of resource-rich areas in Kachin State by the Burma Army, it is unlikely that they will ever be able to return to reclaim their homes and farms.
3. This expansion of war is not the way to obtain a peaceful settlement in Burma. Forcing sustainable communities of their land under a new scorched earth operation does not build trust. It builds fear and anger.
4. The end of conflict can only come with political dialogue achieving a democratic federal union, where the people of Kachin State can determine how to manage their own resources and hands protect the environment in which they live.
To Contact:
- U Jaw San Naw (KDP) 09793608893
- U Galau Lang Yaw (KNC) 09402763018
- U LumDau (LNUDP) 09400036931
- U Tu Raw (KSDP) 0947020087
Download the statement in English HERE.
ထုတ္ျပန္ေၾကညာခ်က္ ျမန္မာဘာသာကုိ ဤေနရာတြင္ ရယူႏုိင္သည္။
