Press Release by Kachin Development Networking Group
November 15, 2011
Burma government jails traditional gold panners while launching large scale gold mining at the Irrawaddy-Myitsone
In late October, Burma’s military government beat up and jailed eleven villagers for gold-panning at the Irrawaddy Myitsone dam site, after warning locals that only the Ministry of Mining’s joint venture would be allowed to excavate for gold in the area.

The villagers were arrested on October 27 while sifting through the tailings of new large scale mining dumps at the Myitsone. This was their main source of income, as their farms had been seized and they had been forcibly relocated last year to the nearby Aung Mye Tar to make way for the Myitsone dam, one of seven dams planned at the Irrawaddy source.  

On 5 October, 2011, an order from Nyein Htun Kyaw, Myitkyina Administrative Office Chief, stated that only personnel from the government-led joint venture would be allowed to carry out gold mining at the Myitsone. All residents and business owners in the Myitsone area, including small scale gold panners, had to leave the specified project area no later than 10 October.

The expansion of mechanized gold mining at the Myitsone, and subsequent arrests of traditional gold panners directly contradicts recent government policy forbidding large scale gold mining on the rivers of Burma in order to protect the environment. This was announced on MRTV on October 25 by Myanmar Mining Enterprise No. 2. 

“The government claims it will protect the Irrawaddy but at the same time they are a destroying the Myitsone with a massive gold mining operation” said Ah Nan from the Kachin Development Networking Group.

Local people have appealed to the Kachin State Minister to release the gold panners but received no reply.
Large scale gold mining, often using mercury and cyanide, has been ravaging lands and rivers across Kachin State for several years, causing serious erosion, alteration of river flows, and toxic pollution. The operation at the Myitsone will destroy the beauty of the confluence and directly pollute the Irrawaddy ecosystem, impacting communities living downstream.

Contact: Ah Nan, +66-848854154
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , www.kdng.org

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