Myanmar: Villagers boycott consultations on Tigyit coal-fired power plant; last minute & selective invitations questioned
"Public skips meeting on Tigyit coal-fired power plant", 3 May 2017
Slamming the government for a lack of transparency, local residents boycotted an April 29 meeting to discuss the Tigyit coal-fired power plant.
The southern Shan State locals said only a small number of people were invited to take part in the last minute, closed-door meeting.
“The invitation was sent on the 27th. Thirty-nine villages will be affected by the Tigyit project but only 70 people were invited,” Ko Sein Thaung, a local resident, told the Shan Herald...
The controversial power plant was suspended during President U Thein Sein’s administration amid a public backlash. Many fear the new government is trying to restart the project after a test run was carried...
...The facility was suspended in 2014 amid local complaints over air pollution.
Local residents say they developed skin and breathing problems after the coal-fired plant began production. Environmental experts have cautioned that the project could have detrimental affects on the nearby Inle Lake watershed.
Residents have called on the government and the company operating Tigyit to publicly release the contract details, as well as the environmental impact assessment.