At Environmental Forum, Hun Sen Spreads the Blame

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday presided over the first of what he promised would be an annual public forum to discuss the plight of the country’s natural resources, though some participants left doubting the events would do much good.

The Forum on the Protection and Conservation of Natural Resources, held at the prime minister’s office building, was a rare chance for activists to put their concerns and requests straight to the premier. The government sought to convince them that it’s getting serious about preserving the country’s lakes, rivers and forests, which have been plundered for decades, often with the help of officials.

Myanmar : Aung San Suu Kyi and China’s Options

Bhaskar Roy As Myanmar nears a historic political transition, the incoming National League for Democracy (NLD) will have a lot on their plate. They will face the enormous challenge of steering the country according to their plans. Having struggled for two and a half decades against a hardline military rule, they will have a clearer […]

Statement of Kachin people on “Natural Resource Governance in Kachin State”

Kachin Organizations On March 1, 2016, 103 leaders of Kachin State from 61 organizations from civil society organizations, political parties, and religion organizations met at Myitkyina, Kachin State to discuss “Natural Resource Governance in Kachin State”. The following statements were agreed collectively at the forum. 1) To institute federalism, self-determination in no time with administration, […]

Fair Share: Toward an Equitable Resource Revenue System

Myanmar’s government currently collects much of the trillions of kyat generated by oil, gas, gemstones and other minerals each year, primarily through its state-owned economic enterprises (SEEs). In the face of such centralized control over revenue, many ethnic groups have long asserted their right to make decisions over resource management in their states. In fact, combatants in areas of active conflict and leaders from several ethnic minority parties—particularly those associated with Kachin, Rakhine and Shan states—have openly called for greater resource revenue sharing.