Some gold mining operations in Putao District, Kachin State, which had been temporarily suspended, have resumed following the junta-run election.
The junta is holding the election in three phases, with Putao Township completing the first round of voting on December 28. Prior to that, all gold mining sites across Putao District, including Putao Township, had suspended operations due to the junta’s crackdown, but they have now resumed.
“Gold mining has already been restarting for about two weeks now. It’s starting up again around Machanbaw Town, as well as in Namsa Bum and Namshe Bum villages,” a Putao Township resident reported.
The head of the Northern Region Military Command, based in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, visited Putao Township in the first week of December, prompting junta authorities to hunt down and arrest gold mining operators and workers, which temporarily shut down operations in the region.
According to locals, the junta is now gradually returning mining equipment that was confiscated during the crackdown to its owners.
After the coup, the junta and mining operators worked together to forcibly relocate villages from gold-producing areas in Putao District and carried out excessive mining, showing no regard for agricultural lands, rivers, or forests.
As a result, resource extraction, particularly gold mining, in Putao has become unregulated since the 2021 coup, warned the Kachin Environmental Group (KEG), a local organization monitoring natural resources.
A KEG official said the situation is highly concerning, affecting not only the ecosystem but also the livelihoods and social well-being of local communities.
“It’s impossible to say exactly how big the impact has been since the coup, but it’s clear that gold mining has increased threefold compared to before,” he told MNJ.
Many acres of land that were once forests and green spaces now lie barren, and rivers and streams have vanished due to excessive gold mining.
“Some streams are now completely muddy and polluted, and in certain areas, they’ve dried up entirely. Farmland has also been lost, which could leave locals without land to cultivate in the future,” he added.
He also warned that if this uncontrolled, excessive mining continues, all arable land could be destroyed within the next five years, making it impossible to grow rice and other crops, while water pollution could seriously harm the health of local communities.
KEG officials also said that excessive gold mining could worsen landslides and floods during the rainy season.
