Damming at gunpoint(English Version)

CONDITIONS AROUND THE PLANNED DAM SITES 57
ing rice and enjoyed working. Now, we cannot clear large areas of land as we are
so afraid.”
KRW Interview, September 2003
In the rainy season this year, villages in the area had faced a plague of
rats 26 , which had eaten up their paddy plantations. This means there will
definitely be food scarcity this year. The villagers know well that the effects of
the current food scarcity will also stretch on into future years. There is a
saying passed on from our Karen ancestors: “Famine take place in one year,
but the consequences will drag on for three years.” Since the local population
are already facing severe problems of food security because of the Burmese
military situation, it is certain that the occurrence of the rat plague will bring
dire consequences.
Health
The mountain terrain in the area is harsh, and the rainy season there is long.
Due to these conditions, malaria is endemic. The IDPs in the area also have
to face other diseases such as diarrhea and acute respiratory infections.
According to a survey conducted by the Karen Backpack Health Worker
Team (BPHWT-Karen) in the period of 2000– 2003 in the Papun area, the
malnutrition rate among children under age 5 was 12 percent 27 . The death
rate of children under age 5 was 250 per 1,000 children.
A health worker in the area explained:
“The death of new born babies is due to the fact that pregnant mothers do not
get sufficient health care. Moreover, the pregnant mothers have to carry heavy
loads, walk along difficult paths, have insufficient rest, and lack nutritious food
while they are avoiding and running from the SPDC.”
KRW interview, September 2003
26
According to information given by local villagers, a rat plague occurred this year due
to the periodic flowering of bamboo in the area (between January-March), which attracted
rats, who like to eat the bamboo fruit. After the rainy season started, there was no more fruit
available. The rats then spread out and began eating all the surrounding plants, including
paddy fields.
27
Relief organisations generally agree that a nutritional emergency exists if more than
8% of the children are found to be malnourished.