News: Serving as Human Shield, Ta Dein Villager Loses his Leg... Commentary: Welcome Myanmar Human Rights Commission and Release of Political Prisoners, but More Progresses are Demanded... Report: Flood, Insect Attacks, and The Hardest Time for Farmers in Lower Burma: SummaryRice is the staple food of Burma and an essential part of Mon agriculture. It is what feeds the majority of people in Lower Burma and is one of Mon State?s primary exports. But this year rice is in short supply due to a treacherous trinity of problems that have attacked Mon farmers from all sides. First, unusually heavy and continuous rains since late May have inundated fields and by the end of August, many fields are still flooded. Some farmers, such as Nai Both in Sein Taung Ward, Ka-mar-wet village, estimate they have lost over half of their rice crop to flooding. In past years, farmers could re-cultivate their paddies after a flood. But as this year?s flooding has persisted unusually long, some farmers say there is neither time nor enough resources to re-cultivate. Making matters worse, a state-owned dam, the Win Pa-noon dam, is at full capacity. Needing repairs and on the verge of collapse, officials have opened the sluice gates, releasing water into farmers? fields. Farmers say the dam is the biggest obstacle in reducing the water levels. Second, an invasion of snails has complicated efforts to maintain remaining rice plants and hampered those trying to re-cultivate. A zoologist who spoke with HURFOM said these snails, known as golden apple snails, are part of a species that is new to the region. They feed on the rice plants and lay thousands of eggs. Due to their rapid rate of reproduction, they can quickly overtake a rice field. Third, farm rats have taken shelter in the fields that were least damaged by floods. In doing so, they built underground nests from which an increasing number of rats emerge to eat the panicles. Farmers, former officials, and experts, have predicted that this year?s production of rice will not meet the needs of Mon State. Meanwhile, the government has yet to officially acknowledge there is even a problem. Some of the interviewees in this report opined that the government is not in the business of telling the truth, and officials have habitually reported false numbers to higher-ups in a chain of continuing false information. At the local level, for their part, authorities have forced beleaguered farmers to pay taxes for repairs to the Win Pa-noon dam and work in projects having similar characteristics as Loh Ah-Pay. But ill-equipped and under-supported, the farmers struggle to remove and kill all the snails and rats. In some cases, farmers have been forced to re-cultivate certain paddies owned by the government at their own expense.; Methodology; A background of paddy rice cultivation and current problems; Farmers Struggle to Stay Afloat Amid Severe Flooding in Lower Burma; No chance to re-cultivate the paddies in time; Paddy Rice Damaged by Snails and Farm Rats; Local Farmers Forced to Pick up Snails; Background of The Golden Apple Snails; Widespread Damage Caused by Rats After the Flooding; Local Farmers Forced to Re-Till Paddy Fields; Conclusion