Resource information
Burmese and Chinese companies are pushing aside Akha, Lahu and Shan villagers
in eastern Shan State in a grab for platinum (“white gold” in Burmese). Women are
facing particular hardship due to the loss of livelihood and the contamination of water
sources. The Lahu Women Organization is calling for an immediate halt to these
damaging mining operations....Summary
Since 2007, destructive platinum mining has been taking place in the hills north of
Tachilek, eastern Shan State, impacting about 2,000 people from eight Lahu, Akha
and Shan villages. The platinum is being extracted by Burmese mining companies and
exported to China and Thailand.
Five companies are currently operating around the Akha village of Ah Yeh, 13 kilometers
north of Tachilek. They have forced villagers to sell property and land at cheap prices,
and confiscated other lands without compensation. Hundreds of acres of farms and
forestland have been seized, or destroyed by dumping of mining waste. The villagers’
access road to the main highway has been ruined by the passage of heavy mining trucks
and machinery.
The main water source for local villagers has been diverted and contaminated by
the mining, causing tremendous hardship for local women, who must now walk long
distances to do their washing.
Women are also facing increased security risks from the influx of migrant male miners
into the area. There is regular sexual harassment of women going to their fields. Young
women are being taken as minor wives by the miners; some are also becoming sex
workers. Mining staff have also been involved in trafficking of local women.
There is no rule of law protecting the rights of the local villagers. By paying off the local
Burmese military, mining companies are able to carry out operations without adhering
to any social or environmental standards. The companies and platinum buyers in
neighbouring countries are therefore maximizing profits by avoiding responsibility for
the social and environmental costs of the mines.
The Lahu Women’s Organisation therefore calls on the Burmese government to put an
immediate stop to these destructive mining operations, which are not contributing to
local development, but are causing poverty and environmental degradation...
