Damming at gunpoint(English Version)

Conditions around the planned dam
sites
Terrain and traditional livelihoods
The land between the Yunzalin River, which flows through the middle of
Papun District, and the Salween River bordering Thailand is mountainous.
Butho Mountain Range (at an elevation of 2,000-3,000 ft above sea level) is
the major mountain terrain in the area. There are only a few stream valleys
which form flat land that can be used for wet rice farming. The hillsides were
thickly forested, with a type of forest called “kaw bway” or “monsoon deciduous
forest” by the Karen inhabitants. Teak and other hardwoods are found
in the area, and the Dar Gwin Forest Reservation, the Dar Gwin Wildlife
Sanctuary, and Upper and Lower Mae Tha Lot Forest Reservations are located
here. Valleys of creeks and streams that are tributaries of the Salween
River are inhabited by the local population, even though the waterways are
not navigable. When the KNU sold logging concessions to Thailand from
1983 onwards, the logging companies cut down about 90% of the teak and
ironwood trees in the forest along the Salween bank (comprising about 70%
of the total forest cover) bordering Thailand. Some endangered wildlife species,
such as tigers, are still found there.
A numbers of waterfalls, both big and small, such as the Lay Doh Waterfall
and Maw Law Kwee Waterfall are found in the area. Oral histories related
by the villagers in the area and the existence of spirit caves (such as the Pa Por
Lay spirit cave) indicate that habitation of the area dates back far into the
past. Villagers in the area used to conduct “hill veneration” ceremonies annually.
A road from Papun to the Salween River bank was built during British
colonial times. Later, when logging took place during the 1980s and the
1990s, Thai companies dug some roads for transport of logs. Apart from
this, the Salween River has served as the main route for transportation and
travel.
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