Shan Groups Call For Mining Halt In Eastern Shan State
The Shan State Farmers’ Network
(SSFN) and the Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) released a
joint statement on Thursday, calling for the incoming Burmese government
to halt gold mining operations in eastern Shan State’s Tachileik Township.
Nang La, a
resident from Na Hai Long village in Tachileik, and a spokesperson for the
group was quoted in the press release describing the difficulties her community
has endured because of gold mining in the area. She said the villager's rice
fields have been destroyed every year by the mining operations.
“Now villagers are worried
about flooding in the village,” she said. “They are afraid to stay in the
village due to fears of possible flooding. Some have been looking for a new
place to live,” she added.
“Villagers
in Na Hai Long, Tachileik Township, have been suffering from the impacts of
gold mining in the nearby Loi Kham hills for almost a decade,” read the
statement. “Their main water source has become clogged and polluted with
cyanide-filled waste, and about 300 acres of fields have become unusable.”
The statement also reported that the
companies involved in gold mining in the area are Sai Saik Pyo Ye, Shwe Taung
and Loi Kham Long.
According to the report, in late
February, trucks from three mining companies, Sai Saik Pyo Ye, Shwe Taung and
Loi Kham Long brought about 30 villagers from Na Hai Long village to the border
town of Tachileik to receive compensation for the damage to their fields caused
by toxic mining waste.
“The
companies provided cash for 7 acres of land at a rate of 12,000 baht per acre.
They promised up to 3 million baht for the entire village,” the statement
reported. The Thai baht is commonly used in
eastern Shan State.
With regards to the compensation,
there was no prior agreement between the mining company and the village headman
or the villagers, according to the statement.
“The
companies are pouring even more waste into our fields than before. How can we
accept money from them to destroy our lives?” said a farmer from Na Hai Long.
Sai Hor Hseng of the Shan Human
Rights Foundation (SHRF) said that the companies are paying off the villagers
to cover up the problem while attention is focused on the political transition
occurring at the national level.
“The
people in Burma and international communities should know that mining companies
are doing this in order to stop residents from complaining,” he said.
Sai Hor Hseng
said what the companies are doing is not
sincere or transparent.
Sai
Ai Pao, the outgoing Shan State Mining and Forestry Minister, had ordered the
mining companies to cease their operations in July 2014. The order was later
reversed and the mining firms are still operating in eastern
Shan State.
BY SAI AW / Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
Tags: General, News
