Villages across central Myanmar report water shortages. Access to water has been hampered by drought and water donors are impacted by COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Category: Myanmar
Deforestation of endangered wildlife habitat continues to surge in southern Myanmar
New satellite data show deforestation activity spiking in many parts of Kawthoung, and they appear to be growing in intensity, with more than 12,000 deforestation alerts detected the week of May 31 – quadruple the average of years past.
Chinese-backed New city project on Myanmar-Thai border under COVID-19 lockdown
Work began on the Shwe Kokko project in 2017. Allegations soon emerged that Chinese criminal gangs are involved in the project and are using it as a base for illicit activities including money laundering.
Myanmar junta’s growing reliance on extractives for cash raises concerns
If governments effectively sanction or suspend the natural gas revenue generated for the military junta, it will lose $1 billion a year being used to hurt Myanmar’s people,” John Sifton, Asia advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, one of several groups that has campaigned to stop gas payments to the junta, said in a statement. “That kind of economic impact could put real pressure on the military to stop its brutal repression and return the country to a democratic path.”
Myanmar Junta sells resources to neighbors in exchange for ‘legitimacy’
The junta’s State Administration Council (SAC) is trying to stabilize this situation by selling the country’s resources to friendly neighbors China and Thailand, specifically concessions for large hydro dam projects and Special Economic Zones.
Myanmar junta’s solar tender unlikely to rejuvenate foreign investment
Fitch Solutions believes that the Myanmar military government’s solar project push, the first attempt at stimulating foreign investment since the coup, will not succeed and will do little to turn the gloomy economic situation around.
Rare Earths in Myanmar: Unobtanium?
Mining in Kachin State brings up a more fundamental question about the upstream rare earth pipeline. Does the road to a clean energy economy run through murky mines in northern Myanmar?
Coal-fired power plant in Myanmar backed by China that villagers feel powerless to oppose
There have been continued reports of miscarriages, cancers and other serious diseases. The plant is emitting more mercury than acceptable by international standards, mostly due to a lack of proper filtering
Why Myanmar’s junta is likely to ignore the opposition to Chinese dams on Salween river
International isolation following the coup may now force the government to move closer to Beijing than it would like.The future of dam building is now in the hands of General Min Aung Hlaing’s military regime.
Chinese SEZ’s in Lower Mekong region hotspots for wildlife trafficking, surveys say
From 2019 to 2020, market surveys from wildlife trade watchdog TRAFFIC found close to 78,000 illegal wildlife parts and products on sale in more than 1,000 outlets across Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia.