Environment and Politics in Southeast Asia/Burma

Research Design: Doin’ it Together

At our first meeting, we decided to explore the politics of dam building in Burma; the Ta Sang Dam project seemed to be the most prominent, and also had the most accessible information. We divided the responsibility of our group equally, allowing each person to specialize in one issue. Individually we studied the history of the Shan, past and present int

Few people would identify hydroelectric and power projects as one of the main causes of deforestation and loss of biodiversity. Almost all dams however, have been major causes of ecological loss and human rights violations. Why does this lack of knowledge and awareness occur? One possible reason is that for many years, these hydroelectric projects have been rendered as synonymous with development. Also, users of the benefits of these dams live far away from the impacted areas. Indigenous people, ethnic minorities, and poor communities having little capacity of being heard by the wider national community often inhabit the sites selected for dam building. Dams also imply road building and tarmacadamiztion, thus allowing access to previously remote areas by loggers and ‘developers,’ resulting ultimately in further deforestation.

Some topics in this essay:
Sang Dam, Shan Karen, Shan Burmese, Ta Sang, Environmental Impacts, Rivers Network, Commission Inquiry, Conclusions Large-scale, Impacts Burma’s, Army MTA, ta sang, shan armies, ta sang dam, sang dam, dam project, human rights, foreign investment, burmese government, development projects, southeast asia, sang dam project, gms power public, military regime, human rights violations, international labor organization,