Monitoring Mining Activities in Shan State

Unknown mining companies are mining gold with permission from authorities from the central government near Pha Tha village, Mine Naw Pha Tha village tract in Keng Tung Township, eastern Shan State without consulting with local residents.

“Local residents are not aware of negative impacts from mining. What they understand is that if companies are conducting mining activities near their villages, their villages will have better roads and get electricity access”, said a villager from Pha Tha village.

Unknown companies are mining on 10,000 acres of land in Mine Naw Pha Tha Village Tract. The local militias are taking responsibility for the company’s security. It is known that Mine Naw Pha Tha village tract administrator and local militias are also involved in mining yet it is not known how they get involved.

Currently, those companies are constructing a big building for gold mining near Pha Tha village. Then, big equipment is being prepared to expand and excavate more than what is currently being mined. Local people are not allowed to enter or go to the area near their building and where they locate their big equipment.

In Pha Tha village, the main livelihood of the villagers is farming. The villagers do not understand that they could lose their water source and their natural environment could be destroyed by mining activities near their village.