The Karen National Union (KNU) Central has announced that Karen ethnic people have protested against the Hat Gyi Dam project planned by the military council on the Salween River. The protest took place on March 14, International Day of Action for Rivers and Against Dams, at the confluence of the Salween and Thaung Yin rivers, which marks the border between KNU-administered Mutraw District and Hpa-an District. The protest movement included officials from Mutraw District, Karen Rivers Watch (KRW), Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN), Karen Women Organization (KWO), Salween Peace Park, Karen Student Network Group (KSNG), and civil society organizations from both the Kawthoolei region and Thailand.
During the protest, a Mutraw District official emphasized that both the Salween and Thaung Yin rivers are ancestral territories where indigenous people have lived for generations. The Salween River serves as a vital lifeline for indigenous communities, with riverside residents depending on it for agriculture, fishing, and transportation activities. The official warned that if the dam project proceeds, only the governments of Thailand, China, and Myanmar would benefit, while local communities would suffer the destruction of their livelihoods and habitats. The protest highlighted the deep connection between the local communities and these rivers that have sustained their way of life for generations.
The demonstration against the Hat Gyi Dam drew approximately 300 participants, including civil society organizations, local authorities, people from the Kawthoolei region, and Thai citizens. This protest represents a significant movement demonstrating the unified opposition of local communities against the military council’s environmentally destructive projects. The event underscored the determination of indigenous peoples to protect their natural resources and traditional ways of life from large-scale development projects that threaten to displace communities and destroy ecosystems.
