Thursday, June 25, 2009

Karenni Mine Risk Education


Karenni Mine Risk Education ( KMRE) is one programs of KSWDC. When Burma got independence since 1948, at the same time the civil war has been occurred until today. Extensive use of landmine by both military junta and non-state armed groups had been seen due to their use in Burma’s civil war.

Inside Karenni State, landmines are using in common places by SPDC’s armed force as the reasons of security and plants unlimited landmine and left it although nearly by villages.

Karenni people are suffering and strive in difficulties from the effects of landmine. Unlimited planted landmine by SPDC, resulting various unwanted ills such as losing lives and limbs, together with various ill effects. Furthermore, thousand of Karenni People had driven into the state of various severe difficulties and hundreds of people had been killed. Landmine is not short term dangerous issue but also can affect people live in the future. Landmine can harm people live both current and future.

Based on current situation and condition, (6) KSWDC members, together with some KNPP personnel had been formed Karenni Mine Risk Education Group in 2006, to collect relevant data(facts and figures). KMRE provides the local Karenni people as target inside Karenni State with necessary knowledge about risk of landmine, collect mine victims data, provide them needed assistance, and mark out dangerous sites in the Karenni.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Brief Background Factors of the KSWDC Inception

Burma attained independence from the colonial British in 1948. Since then, it was under consecutive rule of the authoritarian governments of the AFPFL, BSPP, SLORC and SPDC today. The situation on all fronts had turned for the worst during the rule of the authoritative BSPP until today’s brutal SPDC regime.

The indigenous ethnics had made a call to reclaim their long-lost self-determination and administrative status at the advent of the independence. But since the AFPFL government made no concession to their claim, they each took up arms against the central governments till today, which had covered well over (55) years. This is the summary factor of indigenous multi-ethnics armed resurrection in Burma.

Due to the civil conflicts, the military authoritarian troops ruthlessly executed extensive suppressions on innocent ethnic civilians, such as extortions, forced labor, arbitrary detentions, persecutions, rapes, summary executions etc. These human rights violations are common practice and widespread throughout the country and especially in the ethnics areas where defenseless local residents have to suffer vicious experiences to the extreme.

Moreover, the authoritarian military, with vested interest to perpetuate their power and personal interest, had constructed industrial and development projects ostensibly for the border area development, and also by deploying infantry battalions in the rural areas; local residents were forced to move from their villages to the prescribed relocation sites.

Consequently, thousands of civilians were forced to abandon their villages and farms as the result of the authoritarian regime’s human rights violations and forced relocation programs. These IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) are currently subjected to various difficulties and miseries. They are deprived of life’s basic needs such as food and shelter, healthcare, education, and security; subsequently their future life condition is most precarious.

In 1996, the SPDC forcefully displaced over (150) Karenni villages to the relocation sites. As the result, thousands of villagers were driven to excruciating distress, hundreds of them died in the process. The main problems they faced were that of depression, death from starvation, death from illness without medicine and proper treatments. These conspicuous practical events in the Karenni region and on ground of specific current circumstances, the inception of the KSWDC took place in June 1996 to alleviate the miseries and sufferings of the Karenni people and to orientate them to more positive future.

The KSWDC’s vision

The mass populace in the Karenni, with consolidated democratic force, will take up peaceful co-existence in harmony with Burma as well as the international community.

Conviction

The KSWDC firmly believe that, in consolidation with the mass populace, it will obstruct the development projects and industries, which only serve the interest of the authoritarian regime, and by constructing economic and democratic systems free from exploitation, a peaceful and prosperous Karenni state will emerge.

Aim


The KSWDC‘s goals are as follows;

(1) Presenting life security to the Karenni people subjected to abject distress.

(2) Enable the Karenni people preserve their natural resources and interest.

(3) Promoting the Karenni people in developing knowledge and skills.

(4) Endorsing national solidarity, freedom and equity.

(5) Emergence of sustainable development projects network.

Objective


(1) To campaign for humanitarian aids for the poverty stricken Karenni people.

(2) To enable the Karenni people in preserving their natural resources and interest.

(3) To orientate the Karenni people in studying and preserving basic human rights.

(4) To enable the Karenni people in constructing national solidarity.

(5) To establish communication network within the Karenni community.

(6) To enhance smooth and successful implementation of projects by upgrading the capacity of the staff and the people.

Action plan

(1) The KSWDC to afford humanitarian aids to the IDPs.

(2) To provide knowledge and skills relating natural environment and social development works.

(3) To implement rural development projects.

(4) To educate the IDPs relating human rights issues.

(5) To do study research works relating the people’s basic problems.

(6) To organize community mobilizing works on ground of problems the people currently face. In other words, to orientate the people into brainstorming sessions.

(7) To coordinate in constructing stronger community communication network groups.

(8) To foster the practices of sharing ideas and experiences by organizing seminars and workshops, thereby, solving the problems by personal participation.

(9) To upgrade the knowledge and skills the people actually needed.

(10)To organize and conduct necessary capacity building programs for smooth cooperation between the staff and the people reps.

The ongoing programs


(1) Relief and seed corn distribution programs.

(2) Development work education programs.

(3) Subsistence rural development projects.

(4) Study research on basic community problems.

(5) Mobilizing community seminars.

(6) Setting up development network groups.

(7) Community empowerment programs.

Target groups and areas



- The communities in the IDP areas.

- The communities in the refugee camps.

- The Karenni social societies and the people at the Thai-Karenni border.


More information, please contact to --


Karenni Social Welfare & Development Centre (KSWDC)

P.O.Box- 58

Mae Hong Son 58000

Thailand

Office Ph:/Fax: 66 53 614 446

Mobile Phone: 07- 1790249, 07-1818645

E-mail: kswcink@csloxinfo.com

kswdcink@gmail.com

htebuphoe@yahoo.com