Burma Issues - Development

Over recent decades Burma has embarked on a race towards "development". In order to achieve this goal the government has encouraged foreign investment in natural resource development projects such as oil and gas infrastructure, dams, mines, and logging. These produce profit for the military government but rarely benefit the lives of ordinary citizens.

There are essentially no environmental and social standards for these projects in Burma, and increased militarization around project areas frequently results in the use of forced labor, forced portering, forced relocation, and other abuses. Burma's laws allow for no public participation in decision-making, no environmental, social, or human rights impact assessment, and effectively no access to justice. With no safeguards in place, development projects often result in environmental devastation, land confiscation and destruction of livelihoods for those communities that depend on the land and natural resources.