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Locals in Mudon Township demand removal of illegally operating Chinese-owned factory because of negative environmental and health impacts

HURFOM: According to locals, a Chinese-owned factory in Mudon Township has been operating without the official permission of the Mon State government and is badly damaging the local environment. The Pin Lae Pyar Swan Arr Company is running an elephant foot yam operation between Hmane Ga Name and Kyauk Ta Lone villages angering local residents due to the reported negative health effects experienced by a number of locals.

“We can’t sleep well at night because of the factory. When they are processing the elephant foot yam in the factory, there are loud noises and we’re awaken by the sound. The factory also produces dirty water and the runoff [into local paddy fields] make us itchy. The smoke emitted from the factory has a burning smell and we can’t tolerate it. [Once], a child had difficulty breathing because of the smell and was admitted to hospital,” said a villager from Kyauk Ta Lone village, Mudon Township. Read more

8-year-old girl raped repeatedly and threatened by her grandfather in Mudon Township

WCRP: In November, an 8-year-old girl from Htin Kone village, Mudon Township, Mon State, reported being raped five times by her maternal, 50-year-old grandfather, who she had lived with since she was 3 months old. The girl’s parents had migrated to Thailand five years ago for work. 

According to the young girl, the last incident took place on November 11^th while she was watching TV in the afternoon. Her grandfather took her to his room and raped her. While he sexually abused the young girl, a 14-year-old girl from the neighbor’s house passed by in front of the victim’s grandparents’ house and saw the incident taking place. She then informed the perpetrator’s wife about what she saw. Read more

Military captain who shot and killed civilian on Kalagoke Island to be transferred to civic court: MNHRC

HURFOM: On November 16^th 2018, according to a letter from the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC), Captain Aung Ko Ko Min from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) #587, who shot and killed U Tin Soe Myint, a villager from Kalagoke Island, Lamine Town, Ye Township, Mon State, will be transferred to civic court to face further legal action. Read more

New seaport road in Ye Township leaves villagers upset over land grabbing and unfair compensation by Southern Myanmar Development Co. Ltd.

WCRP: Landowners in Ye Township, Mon State are upset with the Southern Myanmar Development Co. Ltd. over reported land grabbing and unfair compensation. The company is constructing a road to a seaport project between Nit Karen and Tha Pyay Thit villages, leaving many villagers unhappy.

“My brother saw that they have planted red flags on our farm and he told me about it. They should not do it. Even though we were in the farm, they did not tell us and measured our land. The next day, they told us about it and said that they will look into the price of the plantation. Nit Karen’s village administrator, U Than Naing, threatened me, saying that my plantation is very close to the company’s area and if I did not sell it and accept the compensation that they will pay me, the company might be able to confiscate my land. Then he told me that if the company confiscated my land, they [village administration] could do nothing for me,” said Daw Kyin Hla, from Nit Karen village. Read more

Family allege torture by police to force a confession from a 13-year-old accused of rape and murder in Mawlamyine

WCRP: A 13-year-old boy’s family is accusing police of torture to try to force a confession from a 13-year-old boy after he was taken into custody. Thirteen-year-old Mg A— is suspected of raping and killing his 8-year-old adoptive sister on November 18^th in the Tar Yar Aye Quarter of Mawlamyine, Mon State. The perpetrator’s family said that the boy is currently being held in a Youth Care Training Center, under the control of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief, and Resettlement.

On October 18^th, around 10 am, the victim left for her aunt’s house but never returned home. The family, worried, went to look for her but could not find her. The family reported her as missing to the police on November 19^th, and her body was found around 2 pm in a brick-making pit near Hlaing Yadanar Street. Read more

New report and documentary The Attran River to Pyar Taung highlights the MCL cement factory’s damage to local environment and livelihoods

HURFOM joined together with Pyar Taung Region Social Development Association to launch a new report and documentary—The Attran River to Pyar Taung—on November 15^th 2018 at the Rehmonnya Hotel in Mawlamyine, Mon State. The event was attended by around 150 people, including community-based organizations (CBOs) and locals from Kyaikmayaw Township. The report highlights the voices of locals negatively impacted by Mawlamyine Cement Ltd.’s (MCL) coal-powered cement factory and the resulting effect on natural resources and the environment along through Attran River and throughout the Pyar Taung Region in Kyaikmayaw Township, Mon State. Read more

Villagers raise concerns about health impacts of coal mining pollution in Karen State

HURFOM: Villagers affected by coal mining in Karen State have been speaking out with concerns for their health. Sparked by new plans announced in October 2018 to convert the natural gas powered cement factories in Myine Kalay and Hlar Kar village tract into coal-fired ones, villagers say the trucks lack proper protection against scattering stones and powder. The factories are owned by Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) operated by the Burmese military. Read more

Human Security Fragile in South Eastern Burma/Myanmar According to New Research Findings

On 14 November 2018, The Border Consortium (TBC), which has been working with refugees from Burma/Myanmar since 1984, announced the launch of a research publication on human security in Southeastern Burma/Myanmar. This research shows at least 162,000 civilians remain internally displaced, while assessments found that 17 percent of children in communities affected by conflict are acutely malnourished. 

[Download PDF (4.15 MB)] Read more

Access to Justice in Mon Communities

 Human Rights Foundation of Monland

 Fighting reduced and tensions eased after bilateral ceasefire agreements were signed in 2012 by the Government of Myanmar with the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and the Karen National Union (KNU) respectively.  While both KNU and NMSP were involved in negotiating the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), KNU signed in 2015 and NMSP waited until 2018. Read more

Farmers afraid to attend plantations after man injured from Landmine Blast in Yebyu Township

HURFOM: On October 28, a plantation worker was seriously injured by a landmine blast in Kyaung Shar Kwin, Yebyu Township, Tanintharyi Division. Around 100 owners and daily workers are too afraid to attend their nearby farms in case of further blasts. The area is currently under territorial dispute between the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and the Karen National Union (KNU). Read more

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