Hundreds of Myanmar villagers rallied on Saturday against a controversial Chinese-backed copper mine, activists said, reigniting a contentious issue that could pose an early challenge to Aung San Suu Kyi’s new government.
The Letpadaung mine in the central town of Monywa has for years been dogged by complaints of land-grabbing, environmental damage and brutal police crackdowns on protesters.
Growing numbers of villagers have gathered over the past four days in the first major anti-mine demonstration since Suu Kyi’s civilian administration took power this year, ending decades of military domination.
Suu Kyi draws rare rancour over Myanmar mine report
“Today we demanded our rights by showing up with over 200 local protesters,” said Khin Lae, a protest leader.
“No one was hurt today. Yesterday there were some clashes between protesters and the police,” she added.
Winbao – the Chinese firm that jointly runs the mine with a major Myanmar military conglomerate – said this year it aimed to start production in May after years of construction.
Winbao was not immediately available for comment.