Programs: Science and Policy
http://shr.aaas.org//geotech/burma/Dooplaya.shtml
AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program
Geospatial Technologies and Human Rights
Burma - Conflict in Karen State
Case Study Report
Papun District Image Analysis | Toungoo District Image Analysis | Dooplaya District Image Analysis
Shan State Image Analysis | Shwegyin Image Analysis | Myawadi Image Analysis | Thailand Image Analysis
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Dooplaya District Image Analysis
Dooplaya District is in southern Karen State and has experienced conflict for many years, with the military government and its allies taking firm control of the region after a major offensive in 1997. Reporting from the Free Burma Rangers and the Karen Human Rights Group indicates that attacks continue to this day, corroborated by reporting from the Thailand Burma Border Consortium. Village attacks, forced displacement, destruction of agriculture, and forced labor have been the main tactics in use in the area.Dooplaya District Sites
Archival images from January 2000 were compared with archival images from November 2006. Much of the
area analyzed was devoid of any large settlements visible in the area, though much agriculture was
present throughout. The following image pairs (Images 20 - 22) present areas of possible settlement destruction and
associated agricultural abandonment.
While a variety of factors may account for removal of the structures and crops in the intervening time
period, reporting does indicate both the destruction of villages and agricultural sites, and creation
of new agricultural areas, with forced labor, as part of attacks across the region.
Image 20: Agricultural Abandomment and Structure Removal
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The "before" image above depicts a cluster of structures and a nearby possible palm oil plot that are not present in the "after" image. (Lat: 15.70 N Long: 98.35 E)
Image 21: Structure Removal
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A cluster of approximately 4 structures in the "before" image are no longer present in the "after" image. This corresponds with attacks reported to have occurred in the area between mid-2005 and mid-2006. (Lat: 15.73 N Long: 98.32 E)
Image 22: Agricultural Abandoment and Structure Removal
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An additional site of possible structure removal and agricultural abandoment. (Lat: 15.71 N Long: 98.32 E)
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