Social development
Ethnic minorities and indigenous people
“We try to not be Thai”: the everyday resistance of ethnic minorities
Surrounded by low-hanging clouds, mud and chickens in a village deep in the northern hills, a young woman tells me, “We are not Thai and we try not to be Thai. Sometimes I find myself talking to my family in Thai and I think, ‘No, ...
ASEAN’s Role on Rakhine: Big Outside, Little Known in Myanmar
From the outside, ASEAN has been testing the limits of its non-interference policy in ways never done before, being a diplomatic bridge to Myanmar while pressing it to address international criticism for its treatment of its Rohingya minority. But from inside Myanmar, ASEAN’s role in ...
Aung Zaw Min
Myanmar Government Invites Northern Alliance of Ethnic Armies For Talks
The Myanmar government has invited the Northern Alliance group of ethnic armies to meet for talks in October to try to persuade their leaders to sign bilateral cease-fire agreements ending escalated armed conflict with the national military in the country’s far-flung ethnic regions, a government ...
NGO, indigenous communities call for stronger conservation efforts
The NGO Forum on Cambodia and indigenous communities have called for stronger efforts on the conservation of indigenous languages and the development of indigenous peoples in the Kingdom. The request was made as more than 300 million indigenous people in over 90 countries around the world ...
Pech Sotheary
Tanintharyi dam project draws local ire
Indigenous people called for a large dam project to be halted on the Tanintharyi River, based on the findings of two reports released by local people on Friday. The devastating impact that a proposed 1040-megawatt dam would have on the river and the communities along it were ...
Myat Moe Aung
New report: Proposed Myanmar dam could displace thousands
Myanmar government officials claim a hydroelectricity project along the Tanintharyi River could significantly benefit the Southeast Asian nation. But new research by a trio of human rights organisations offers a dark contrast to that bright picture. Almost 7,000 people could be displaced if a dam is built along ...
Leonie Kijewski
Programme helps empower ethnic minority women via 4.0 technology
A conference was held in the northern province of Bac Kan on July 17 to connect ethnic minority women with partners under a programme supporting them to develop economic activities via Industry 4.0 technology. The programme, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will enable ...
Rohingya refugee voices amplify across Southeast Asia
The 2017 Rohingya humanitarian crisis caused by Myanmar is not only affecting Bangladesh, which has taken in 740,000 refugees, but it’s also causing strife in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Despite Myanmar’s alleged attempts at repatriation, Rohingya have stayed put in camps and cities fearing the security ...
ADAM BEMMA
Rakhine Internet Shutdown Makes Relief Efforts More Difficult, Refugees And Aid Workers Say
The cutoff of internet service to conflict-affected areas of western Myanmar’s war-torn Rakhine and Chin states has created a difficult situation for civilians who cannot access donors online to make aid requests, though the state government said it will step in to fill the void ...
Rohingyas bring a statement to ASEAN Summit, police block them
On Sunday 23 June, the Rohingya Community in Thailand planned to hand a statement to Myanmar, Thailand as ASEAN’s chair, and the leaders of the ASEAN countries, but the police blocked them. They therefore decided not to go to the ASEAN Summit and Thai Ministry ...
