"Myanmar land mine danger grows as military rings Chinese assets" 3 July 2023

When Myanmar government troops clashed with armed, pro-democracy resistance forces in the country's northwestern Sagaing region in early June, concern grew over the dangers lurking beneath the ground -- particularly around a Chinese-run copper mine in the area.

After multiple failed attempts, the military regime that seized power in February 2021 was attempting to root out rebels so that resource extraction could proceed unhindered. But expert observers noted that the government's tactics for protecting the Letpadaung copper mine and other Chinese interests include ringing them with antipersonnel land mines. [...]

"Land mines are being used by the military as a strategy to protect Chinese assets," said Jason Tower, Myanmar country director for the United States Institute of Peace, a Washington-based think tank. "This was the fourth time since the coup that troops were used near the Letpadaung mine -- which also has land mines around it -- to restart work," he said of the operation in June.

Letpadaung has been dormant since the military ousted the elected government over two years ago -- a consequence of growing anti-regime resistance by an estimated 16 pro-democracy groups, which collectively make up the People's Defense Force, active in Sagaing. The Chinese company that has a stake in the mine is a subsidiary of Wanbao Mining, which is affiliated with China North Industries Group (Norinco), China's state-owned defense corporation.

Wanbao Mining declined to comment about its mine allegedly being ringed with hidden explosives. [...]

The copper mine has been dogged by controversy for years. Local communities have mounted protests against toxic outflows, including mine tailings, or waste byproducts that pollute the groundwater. Violence erupted in late 2012 after villagers raged against the project as another symbol of Chinese economic dominance in their midst. [...]

"Year upon year civilian accidents involving land mines, unexploded ordnance, and other explosive devices reach into the hundreds," the International Committee of the Red Cross stated in response to an email query about Myanmar's worsening land mine warfare. "Land mines and other explosive devices make no distinction on who steps on them, and many communities are strongly impacted."

Beyond the death toll, the ICRC noted that the proliferation of land mines leads to "families losing their breadwinners due to injuries or [the impossibility] of the farmers to use their land."