The investigation committee for the Latpadaung copper mine project made calls for cooperation between the government, local officials and residents in the area following a visit to the site on April 8.
The Committee for Implementation of Report of Investigation Commission is headed by Minister Hla Tun who said that the peaceful continuation of the project will be “crucial for the entire nation”, according to a report in the state-run newspaper The New Light of Myanmar on Wednesday.
The committee's visit follows continued protests by villagers on April 5 and 6 who swore to continue protesting until their demands were met.
“We have already protested six times for the Latpadaung copper mine project. We are now here again because they still haven’t done anything for us regarding this matter,” said Win Win Htay from Sel Tel Village last weekend.
According to state-owned media from March 16 to 31, 1,570 million kyats (US$1.8 million) was given to 536 villagers from 20 villages for 1,400 acres of cultivating land taken over or destroyed by the project. The compensation ranged from one million kyat ($1,130) to 1.5 million kyats ($1,704) per acre.
