Irrawaddy-Sept 25
U Myint Lwin has lost count of the times he and his family have fled their home. Like the rest of their village, they are on constant alert for the approach of junta troops from the Chinese-run Letpadaung copper mine, just a mile away. The 47-year-old is a resident of Hnin Taw village in Salingyi Township, Sagaing Region. He is among thousands of civilians living around the mine who have been terrorized by marauding junta soldiers stationed there since the 2021 coup. “We can’t count how many times we have been forced to abandon our home,” U Myint Lwin told The Irrawaddy. The junta terror campaign is just the latest threat from the mine, which has displaced locals and poisoned farmland for over a decade, leading to protests and violent crackdowns by authorities. Now, the surrounding villages face regular shelling and raids by regime troops, who kill civilians, loot property, and torch houses. Villagers who venture near the mine report being fired upon by soldiers, who also extort money from them at gunpoint. Troops have killed at least 31 civilians living around the mine since the coup, according to a Sept. 20 press conference held by local strike committees. Another four residents have died while fleeing the raids. Civilians from 22 villages around mining operations in Salingyi have fled since 2021 amid frequent raids. Salingyi is home to three Chinese-run copper mines – Letpadaung, Sapetaung and Kyesintaung. The mines are run by Wanbao Mining, Ltd and its two subsidiaries – Myanmar Wanbao Mining Copper, Ltd and Myanmar Yang Tse Copper, Ltd – in partnership with the military-owned Myanma Economic Holdings Ltd. Wanbao is a subsidiary of Chinese state-owned defense firm China North Industries Corporation (Norinco). Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/specials/myanmar-china-watch/how-chinese-run-mines-are-fueling-the-myanmar-juntas-terror-campaign.html
