"The Social and Environmental Compliance Unit (SECU) met with 150 people from indigenous Karen villages to hear their concerns. The Conservation Alliance Tanawthari, a coalition of Karen community organisations for the protection of the rights of communities in Tanintharyi, filed a complaint with the SECU in August 2018 to investigate and suspend the US$21 million “Ridge to Reef project”. After finding the complaint unfounded, the unit conducted the first of two visits to local communities from July 18-20. UNDP Myanmar reported that the project will be suspended until the investigation is complete. “We understand there are about 224 villages in the project area, including 73 indigenous Karen villages. This project threatens the land and forest rights of thousands of indigenous people, and the rights of refugees to return to their land in the project area, and may undermine peace and stability in the region,” said Saw San Ngwe, director of Southern Youth, a member of the coalition. Villagers told the visiting delegation that the government cannot be trusted because its “protected areas” in the region have deprived forest-dependent people of their livelihoods and way of life. Moreover, they said, they were never consulted about the project. Instead of conserving the forest, the government has allowed rampant logging and granted large concessions to businesses, including palm oil plantation companies, they said..."