Thousands of displaced people in Myanmar

NEW YORK, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- The army of Myanmar has forced thousands of members of ethnic minorities out of their homes, Human Rights Watch said Thursday.

The group cited a report by the Thailand Burma Border Consortium, a non-governmental organization, which found that in mid-2007 there were more than 500,000 displaced people in eastern Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. The consortium reported that 99,000 were hiding, 109,000 were living in army relocation camps and 295,000 were living in areas controlled by armed groups with cease-fire agreements with the government.

The army clears areas for counterinsurgency operations and then uses those areas for concessions under its control, such as gold mining and hydroelectric dams.

“As well as attacking monks and democracy protesters in Rangoon, Burma’s military junta is forcing ethnic minority villagers to flee their homes in the country’s border areas,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.