"Network opposing dam project to be set up", 26 March 2019

A nationwide network seeking an end to the Myitsone Dam project will be set up....

A campaign aimed at stopping the project was held...to raise public awareness about the plan to set up the network, U Aung Soe Myint, one of the campaign leaders, said.

"What we want is an end to the project, no matter what was said. The project is one of the most pressing issues in the country and we don't accept it no matter what anyone says," Dr Aung Soe Myint said, adding that a decision to continue the project will cause more problems in the country.

He said the nationwide network will serve as an umbrella body for organisations, entities, and people opposed to the project.

...One environmental conservation working to preserve the biodiversity in upper Myanmar who declined to be named said, "We are not completely opposed to using the country's resources. We can use what we should use for development, but three points must be addressed. There should be surveys of biodiversity in a project area, the impact of any project must be reduced, and the project must be managed well. This is my advice as a conservationist."

The project was suspended by the government of U Thein Sein in 2011 after massive public protests sparked by concerns that it would displace thousands of people and destroy the environment.