Irrawaddy-May 30
The Myanmar Mining Watch Network (MMWN) has called for all mining operations in ethnic areas to cease, warning that a surge in illegal extraction since the 2021 coup is destroying the environment and communities.
In a statement issued on Monday, the network said increased mining is evident in ethnic areas such as Kachin, Shan, Karenni, and Karen states, where extraction has intensified for resources such as gold, tin, nickel, steel, zinc, coal, jade, rare earth minerals, and platinum.
“The coup d’état military council has allowed its allied militias to levy taxes, and the military dictator has declared itself a caretaker government, but doesn’t respect the rule of law,” the network said. Ethnic armed organizations are also becoming deeply involved in mining, it added. MMWN is a social network of 11 organizations established in 2016. With rule of law absent, the illegal mining boom had brought increasing loss of life due to landslides caused by huge machinery and drownings in pit lakes, plus more drug use around mining sites, forced displacement, and use of forced labor including child workers, the network said. Meanwhile, chemicals used in the mining are poisoning fields and water sources, leading to a scarcity of drinking water, agricultural land, various fish species in rivers, animals, medicinal plants, and other flora and fauna, it added. Read more at:
