Migrant workers in and around the towns of Chipwi and Pang War in Kachin State's Chipwi Township are struggling to make a living due to a shortage of work.
The areas around the towns of Chipwi and Pangwar, near to the Chinese border, have large deposits of rare earth metals (REMs) and previously the migrant workers, from other parts of Myanmar, used to work for the REM mining companies.
But, since taking control of Chipwi Township from the junta-aligned Kachin Border Guard Force (Kachin BGF), the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has shut down REM mining sites, which means there is no longer any work for the migrant workers, according to one who spoke to KNG.
She said: “I have tried to hang on here as long as possible, but with no jobs left, even finding daily food has become a struggle. Almost all the mining sites have shut down.”
Many young and middle-aged workers migrated to Chipwi and Pangwar towns from other areas of Myanmar to get work extracting REMs when the economy collapsed, following the junta’s February 2021 coup.
A KIA led coalition captured Chipwi Town on 29 September 2024 and Pang War Town, formerly the headquarters of the Kachin BGF for 55 years, on 18 October 2024.
The KIA then closed all but about 10 of the REM mining sites in October 2024, according to an accountant who used to work at an REM mining site.
Previously, when the area had been under the control of the Kachin BGF, there had been about 300 REM mining sites of various sizes around the towns of Chipwi and Pang War, with each employing between 30 and 50 workers. But, with their closure the migrant workers no longer had any work. Many have found themselves unable to go home because they cannot afford the journey.
Another migrant worker in Pangwar who spoke to KNG said: “I've been here for quite some time, looking for work. Now all the money I brought with me is gone, and I don't even have enough to go back home. Even now, I have to live at a friend's place.”
With no prospect of work and worsening financial situations many of the migrant workers said that they are considering returning home. But, they are worried and hesitant to do so because they have heard reports that the KIA is conscripting travellers on the Pang War to Chipwi to Myitkyina Road.
But, it is not just the migrant workers suffering in the towns of Chipwi and Pangwar. Because they no longer have any money to spend, local businesses, such as grocery shops, are also suffering.
A Chipwi Town shop owner said: “When the mining sites were active in the Pang War, migrant workers would come here to shop. Now, my sales have clearly dropped, and I only sell a small amount of groceries.”
REMs mined around Chipwi and Pangwar towns are primarily exported to China, which borders Chipwi Township.
According to a report by the international environmental NGO, Global Witness, the number of REM mining sites around Chipwi and Pangwar towns rose by 40 per cent between the 2021 coup and 2023 when Chipwi Township was still under the control of the Kachin BGF. During that period REM exports to China from Chipwi Township rose from 19,500 tonnes to 41,700 tonnes.
