Forest Fires - Burma - Pollution In Cm

[rethaired]

This extraordinary article from a courageous BBC reporter inside Burma elucidates partly (I guess) why there are sometimes forest fires in the North (as we can extrapolate Thai farmers might do the same for the same reasons than the Karne people do it). In this case, this is taking place in Burma, near Thailand. Of course this article is more about the war between the Karens and the Burmese government. (It could be posted as well in the Asian forum, but I think it is important that it stays here as it is relevant to Chiang Mai because of the pollution that occurs in March and April.)

Burmese farmers face flood threat

By Nessa Tierney

One Planet, BBC World Service

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7363778.stm

With dense green forests on both banks, and a clear blue sky overhead, the Salween River is peaceful when the motor of our long, narrow boat is switched off.

This river is the main artery of Karen State in eastern Burma, and an almost completely unspoilt, incredibly biodiverse environment.

We see little traffic on our journey; a couple of other wooden boats carrying goods, and one with a cargo of buffalo that my guide says are being smuggled from deep inside Burma for sale in Thailand. The peace, however, is deceptive, as this area is essentially a war zone.

I have crossed into Burma illegally from Thailand because the repressive Burmese regime does not grant visas to foreign journalists.

The authorities certainly do not want the outside world to have access to Karen State, a division of Burma that borders Thailand.

Nature's role

The Karen opposition forces have been fighting for self-determination against the government for almost 60 years.

They have few areas of control left; the Burmese military regularly launch attacks on villages in an attempt to force people to relocate to Burmese-controlled areas.

Estimates say hundreds of thousands of Karen have been displaced. Many hide in the jungle; up to 200,000 have made their way across the border to refugee camps in Thailand. Others find relative and temporary safety in camps in Karen State set up by the Karen National Union (KNU), the political wing of the opposition.

These displaced people bring reports of human rights abuses by the Burmese army: rape, torture and forced labour.

I met Paw Wah in a refugee camp beside the Salween River.

"They tied my husband to a tree, with a rope," she told me, "then they beat him. He is still vomiting blood.

"They said he was helping the KNU soldiers, but this wasn't true".

The area's natural environment plays an important role in the conflict. The Karen have a unique way of managing their resources, especially their forests. They practise a form of rotational farming which involves burning areas of forest for planting. They hunt wild animals and gather plants for food and medicine.