Local villagers in protest against the toxic impacts of rare-earth metal mining industry in Mansi township, have destroyed tents belonging to Chinese entrepreneurs in Mansi Township, located in the Bhamo District of Kachin State.
A villager complained, “They have not responded to our request to leave by February 28. They have not left. We want them to get out. We have met and talked with them several times in t he meantime. We also told them that we want you to leave here, but they have not given us any response.”
The villagers main objection to rare-earth metal mining, which could potentially cause long-term livelihood and health problems for the local residents and damage to their lands which has been well-documented in civil society reports.
According to residents, they had held multiple meetings with the businessmen until March 21, but their requests were not complied with, resulting in the destruction of the tents located within the designated block area.
Videos of nearly a thousand angry locals from Inbarpar, Dingsingpar, and other nearby villages smashing and destroying temporary tents built with blue zinc roofing sheets and blue tarpaulinroofs went viral on social media on March 21.
A villager who participated in the protest said, “Yesterday, more than 1,200 villagers went to discuss the final situation. We went to meet with the businessmen there at 12:00 in the afternoon. We told then we want you to leave our land. Write a promise to leave. Then we will go back. They said they could not write a promise, so the villagers destroyed their tents and belongings at 5:00 p.m.”
The Chinese businessmen had been granted permission to operate by the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) central, is believed to be a major reason why the mining groups refuse to to cease operations or leave the area.
Christian religious churches in the region, in cooperation with religious leaders and locals, have formed a protest committee against rare-earth metal mining and have repeatedly sent requests tothe KIO headquarters to halt the mining activities of local Chinese entrepreneurs.
However, the KIO did not respond and the businessmen did not halt their activities or leave thearea, leading to the current situation, according to the protestors.
Neither the KIO nor the Chinese entrepreneurs have taken any action against the local villagers following the destruction of the tents belonging to the entrepreneurs.
The current rare-earth metal mining areas are Inbarpar, Dingsingpar, Injungbum, Hpaidang, and Jangmai in Mansi township.
Since September 2022, the entrepreneurs have been testing rare-earth metal mining near Inbarpar village and have persisted with all their equipment until now. The residents have stated that they will continue to protest until the rare-earth metal mining activity ceases.
