"Uncovering Myanmar’s Rare Earth" 27 October 2022

MYANMAR HAS BECOME CHINA'S DEDICATED SUPPLIER FOR ITS NATURAL RESOURCES, INCLUDING REES

[...] Unregulated and illegal extraction of natural resources is common in Myanmar due to its chronic political instability. [...] Myanmar's rare earth mining sites are located in Kachin State which borders China's Yunnan province. Home to the eponymous Kachin ethnic minority, the remote and mountainous Kachin State has seen frequent clashes between the authoritarian Myanmar military and the Kachin Independence Army, one of the many influential and active armed groups fighting for autonomy.

The tumultuous political context has set the conditions for illegal mining to continue with impunity, which is worsened by even laxer regulation after the 2021 military coup. When the civilian government was in charge between 2016 to 2020, officials regulated and investigated mining operations. Now that the military is back in control, illegal extractions are taking place on a larger scale.

According to Kachin environmental groups, the town of Pangwa in the Chipwi township has over a hundred rare earth mines under the control of a border guard force, previously known as the New Democratic Army-Kachin. This militia group has been allied with the Myanmar military since its formative years in 1989, and is known to profit from the rare earth mining activities. The recent political developments have increased concerns for local Kachin communities, considering how environmentally detrimental rare earth mining can be and how the authorities have little to no regard for the environment.

DESPITE THE GREEN PROMISE OF RARE EARTHS, LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN KACHIN STATE SUFFER

Mining procedures, such as landscape alteration, infrastructure construction, ore separation, and waste disposal—or lack thereof—are extreme operations that pose environmental, socio-economic, and health problems. In weakly regulated territories like Kachin State, these adverse consequences may be more extensive and persistent.

In order to extract REEs, the landscape must be thoroughly cleared. The deforestation and mountain removal processes make local communities more vulnerable to soil erosion, habitat loss, and global warming. [...]