Chinese employees working for the China Power Investment Corporation (CPI) are back to work in the Myitsone hydropower project in Irrawaddy River also called Mali Hka in Burma's northern Kachin State following their monsoon holidays, local sources said.

About a hundred workers have arrived back in groups at the project labour camps on the left side of the Irrawaddy River bank on the Myitkyina-Sumprabum car road since early last week, residents near the hydropower project site said.

The Myitsone hydropower project is being implemented jointly by Burma-Asia World Co. Ltd., and CPI. Soon hundreds of civilian labourers from the villages will be called to the project site, said a source close to Chinese camps.

Unfortunately, a senior Chinese engineer, a watercourse expert fell into the river and died on November 23, last year while he was inspecting the Myitsone site in the Irrawaddy River.

The Chinese inspection of the river did not stop following the death of the senior inspector. The company started to use dynamites in the project sites early this year, according to villagers living near the project site.

Dams in the project site are to be built for generating a total of 3,600 MW of electricity.

Mr. Awng Wa, chairman of the Kachin Development Networking Group (KDNG) on the China-Burma border said, "The electricity from Myitsone hydropower project will not be distributed to civilians but would be sold to neighbouring China. The local people will suffer from disasters following the dams being built but benefits will go to Burma's ruling junta and China."

The Myitsone hydropower project is the biggest of total seven projects in Irrawaddy River and N'mai River which were planned to be jointly constructed by the Asia World Co. Ltd., and CPI in 2006.

Myitsone in Burmese is the confluence of Mali River and N'mai River also called 'Mali-N'mai Zup' by local Kachin people and it is also one of the most popular tourist spots in Burma.