press release by tavoyan women’s union
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Press release by Tavoyan Women’s UnionTRANSCRIPT
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Tavoyan Women’s Union (TWU)
PO Box(176), Mae Sot, Tak ,63110, Thailand. [email protected]
Date: March 27, 2013
Press release by Tavoyan Women’s Union
First village ordered out for construction of Dawei Deep Sea Port
A seaside fishing village of over 15 houses was ordered to move out last week to make way for the planned
Dawei Deep Sea Port.
Residents of Charkhin Beach village, which has been declared an “illegal” settlement, received an official order
on March 20 to move out within three days or face prosecution. However, most of the villagers are refusing to
move, as they rely on fishing in the sea as their main livelihood.
Charkhin Beach village is the first to be forcibly relocated for the Dawei Deep Sea Port and Industrial Zone
project, which will displace over 30,000 people. The Charkhin Beach residents are being forced out without
compensation. They are extremely poor, and fish in the dry season, but migrate elsewhere to do wage labour
during the rainy season.
The written order from the Htein Gyi village tract authorities cited existing laws as a basis for the eviction, on
the grounds that the Charkhin Beach residents are not “permanent” residents, even though they have lived there
for over 20 years.
“It’s shocking that this multi-billion dollar project is starting by forcing out the poorest villagers without any
consideration for their future,” said Su Su Swe of the Tavoyan Women’s Union. “This is a clear warning of how
the project will proceed. It is completely unfair, without free consent of local people, and in violation of
indigenous rights.”
The Dawei Special Economic Zone is being developed under an agreement between the Thai and Burmese
governments. Italian-Thai Development Plc (ITD) has been granted a 75-year land lease to develop a deep sea
port, industrial estate and transborder corridor link.
Contact persons:
Su Su Swe ( General Secretary)
+ 668 2742 3045
Lwin Lwin Hlaing (Joint General Secretary 1)
+ 959 45099 4980
For the full text of the eviction order, see:
http://en.tavoyanvoice.com/2013/03/order-to-htein-gyi-village-tract/ for English translation.
http://www.tavoyanvoice.com/?p=2254 (original order letter in Burmese)