July 30, 2005 From the focus of organizations of the ethnic community development, the 7th Ethnic Community Development Seminar was held from July 25 to July 30th 2005, at a certain place in the Karen State. A total of 50 representatives from the Kachin, Karenni, Karen, Chin, Mon, Arakanese, Shan, Pa-O, Palaung and Lahu community development organizations and ethnic youth organizations attended the seminar and 7 ethnic nationality community development organizations presented their reports on community development work in their respective ethnic areas.

With financial assistance and support from governments and foreign companies, the SPDC military regime has been carrying out projects of gold mining, extraction of petroleum, natural gas and timber, and building roads, bridges and large dams in the areas of Burma' s ethnic nationalities. (boxun.com)

Far from benefiting the ethnic nationalities, these so-called development projects of the Burmese SPDC military regime have been subjecting the ethnic peoples to the violence and miseries of forced relocation, forced labor, destruction or confiscation of orchards or farmlands, rape of women, chemical poisoning, spread of infectious diseases, destruction or obliteration of the traditional cultures and devastation of the natural environment.

In order to prevent local population of the ethnic nationalities from harm and damages as a result of development, the Seventh Ethnic Community Development Seminar, in line with viable community based development ideas, laid down the following principles as follows.

The development projects:

1. Shall be long term in nature and the local communities are to have the right to participate in the decision making process and the right to enjoy the benefits resulting from the projects;

2. Shall not harm or destroy the traditional cultures and values of the local communities;

3. Shall give the local communities the right to equitable benefits;

4. Shall give the local communities the right to participate in the various stages of planning and decision making;

5. Shall not harm the natural environment; and

6. Shall meet the needs of the present and the need of future generations.

In implementing development projects, there must be no loss or damages to the local communities and the projects should bring benefits to the local populations and be long term in nature. The development projects the SPDC military regime have been implementing are harming the ethnic peoples in many ways and we declare that they are just for the perpetuation its power and for the continued oppression of the ethnic nationalities.

Executive Committee

Ethnic Community Development Seminar For further information, contact:

Hteh Bu, phone 667 181 8645

Mahn Mun Mun, phone 666 214 5910

Saw Htoo Klee, phone 666 191 2165 _(²©Ñ¶×ÔÓÉ·¢¸åÇø·¢¸å) (boxun.com)