Mining in Eastern Shan State Continue After Coup

Mining operation continue after the military coup in Na Hai Long village and Na-On village in eastern Shan State, Tachileik district, Tarlay sub-township. These mining activities are causing problems to the community. The main livelihoods of the communities are agriculture and livestock. The majority of the villagers are ethnic Shan and Lahu.

Since 2011, the grazing land that villagers have been using for grazing their cattle and their Taung Ya (hill farm) were destroyed by the mining companies. When it’s raining, it is flooded and industry waste from mining such as metal waste, soil, rock and acids from the mining companies were flowing into the farmlands along with rainwater and damaging farmland. In 2022, even though they dug up to change the water way into the Mekong River that will wash away the copper waste from mining, the local farm still cannot be cultivated.

After 2011, May Flower Company and other two distribution companies have started 20 mining plots in this area. After Covid19 and 2021 Coup, they started mining 10 more plots. Township administrative department, district administrative department and local authorities are involved in mining with these companies. These companies are registered under the name of Myanmar citizens and financial investment and management are under illegal Chinese people from China.

In 2015 and 2016, those companies paid compensation for the damages of farmland that were destroyed by the companies. One of the local land owner U Kyar Maw (not real name) said that “those compensation given by the company at that time was just for the crop compensation. In 2023, that compensation money is gone. Their left-over wasteland and acid residue still today. It cost me twice of the given compensation money to repair my land to be able to cultivate. However, I don’t know where to report to. Another thing is that when it rains and flooded, the waste land and acid from the mining flow with rain water into our house and it is a concern for health. Due to increasing of mining activities, deforestation and scarcity of drinking water occur. This year, it is only in April, the villagers already start facing not enough of drinking water. In addition, after the military coup, local militia and rich people cooperated and seized land illegally according to local resident.”

Since 2011, the community has noticed the consequences from the mining such as environmental destruction, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, loss herbal and local tradition, soil erosion, flood, climate change, air pollution, water and soil poisoning according to a local activist.

After the coup, many civil society organizations still try to maintain environmental conservation however, they have lack of freedom of expression under the military rule and fear of life threatening, they cannot get involved much deeply in their work. The land that mining activities operate in Na Hai Long and Na-on villages are the land once owned by ethnic Lahu and Shan who have been using these lands traditionally and handed down by their ancestors for generations. It is also a place that where ethnic Lahu and Shan rely for herbs and resources gathering.