"Mining company issues defamation claims against author", 25 May 2016

A mining company in Tenasserim Division is filing a defamation case against the author of an essay about a fish lamenting the destruction of a local creek.

Although the essay doesn’t mention the name of the company blamed for destroying the creek, Burmese-owned mining company Delco Ltd filed a lawsuit against author Aung Lwin at Yebyu Township Court…accusing him of defamation under Article 500 of the Penal Code.

Aung Lwin denied the charges when he appeared at the court on Tuesday morning…

Since Delco Ltd began operations in the area in 2010, its tin and tungsten mines have been blamed by residents for causing damage to the environment. A letter of complaint signed by residents of 10 villages was sent to the local government earlier this month, but has yet to receive a response.

He said the article, published in the 9 May issue of the Tenasserim Weekly Journal and on the website of Dawei Watch, a local media group, aimed to highlight the pollution in the creek. He added that he felt compelled to write something after noticing a decline in the fish population…