Solar Power to Villages in Karen State, Myanmar

As referred to in our last report, the INGO registration procedure is not making any progress so far in Myanmar.

At the same moment, skirmishes and battles between Junta forces and the alliance of Ethnic Armed Organizations + People Defense Forces are ever becoming harsher in all over the border areas in Myanmar.

Although the Junta forces are gradually losing their major strongholds, construction works carrying track loaded equipment is still dangerous, BHN’s works in Kayin(Karen) & Mon states are stranded and we have no prospect of when we can proceed with the project.

By the harsh battles and heavy bombings by the Junta forces, the flood of refugees to the border area in Thailand has substantially increased in the recent days and the necessity of our project in Thailand is ever growing.

In Thailand, the negotiations with the related organizations to support refugees in the camps has almost completed and the project implementation will start after the “Songkran”(new year water festival).

The original Plan of BHN(as shown under) was fully agreed among cooperative organizations.

(All the following Plans include solar generation equipment to support the systems)

1. To install Community Addressing Systems
2. To install computer systems into camp offices
3. To install computer systems into schools for computer education
4. To train younger generations on electricity to enhance their job chances

Recent Situation After the Coup-Getting Worse

After our report last summer the state governments of Kayin(Karen) and Mon ordered us to suspend to proceed with our solar project until BHN could make a renewed NGO registration approved by the central government’s Registration Office.

Until that time our solar project was proceeding well , although with some delays due to the frequent skirmishes between the junta forces and the alliance of Ethnic Armed Organizations(EAO) + People Defense Forces(PDF), to just before the signing of construction agreement with the contractors for the work.

The procedure to obtain INGO registration was revised to very intricate since last year and, although BHN is trying to comply with the new regulations, we are still struggling to obtain the capacity to be listed as INGO.

Whereas, the confrontation between the junta army and the alliance of EAO & PDF is ever becoming harsher and the bombing by the junta air force caused a huge outflow of refugees into the border area in Thailand.  Many camps were existing in the border area for refugees from Myanmar since tens of years ago but the population in these camps are further increasing.

To support these refugees in destitute in the border area BHN started to negotiate with the related organizations and authorities.  Initially, we are going to start with 3 camps(Mae La, Umpiem, Nu Po) where most of the people are coming from the State of Kayin(Karen) of Myanmar.  After discussing with village leaders of the camps we made a Plan as under.

Outline of our intended Plan :

(all the followings of the Plan also include installations of solar systems to support them.)

1. To install Community Addressing(CA) Systems into all the key locations to improve the in-camp diffusion of information.
2. To install computers and the peripherals into camp offices to improve the efficiency of the camp management.
3. To install computer systems into schools for computer education to the higher graded students to obtain computer literacy and enhance their chances of future job possibilities.
4. To employ younger generations and train them on the knowledge of electricity and let them practice the installation works on the above systems(on-the-job training) so as them to be able to have better employment possibility in the future.

BHN is expecting that the above Plan will be approved by Thai authrity to start in the course of next March.