June Industry Ltd recently informed the Land Management and Records Department of Kyaikmayaw Township that it would be proceeding with constructing the cement factory.

According to a 6 November announcement by the Land Management and Records Department of Kyaikmayaw Township locals were allowed to submit letters in opposition to the factory construction up till 5 December and if no letters of opposition were received by then construction of the factory could go ahead.

Nai Aung Thant Tin, the former chairman of the Village Land Committee and a resident of Maekayo Village, said: "They did not send the announcement letter directly to us. We only got this letter after we asked around. They were scared to send us this letter so they sent it to another village [Haloe Zin Kon Village] instead. We only got to hear about this announcement when the villagers from there gave us the letter."

According to opposition letters submitted to the Land Management and Records Department of Kyaikmayaw Township on 2 December by people living close to the proposed cement factory it would have negative effects on the environment and agriculture in the area and it would cause health problems and social issues.

The letters also stated that the proposed cement factory would damage the ancient pagodas and stupas in caves on the Maekayo and Pya mountains. Local school buildings, houses, and monasteries would also be affected because the factory would also be excavating limestone in the mountains.

Locals also said that they would also oppose the building of housing projects on farmland close to the proposed factory site.

Nai Shwe Win a villager from Maekayo Village said: “We submitted the opposition letters on 2 December. Then, on 3 December company representatives came to meet us. They asked us to take back the letters. I said that the opposition letters were not only from me and that they were from the locals and expressed those locals wishes. We submitted the letters because the locals wanted us to, so it is impossible to take them back."

June Industry Ltd bought the farmland where it wanted to construct the cement factory in 2010. At the time the company promised that it would construct the factory within three years and that if it did not it would return the farmland to its original owners.

Nai Aung Thant Tin said: "It has been five years already, yet they [June Industry Ltd] have not constructed anything."

About 262.32 acres of farmland between Maekayo Village and Kawpanaw Village has been allocated to June Industry Ltd for the construction of its cement factory.

Currently there is one other cement factory operating in Kyaikmayaw Township, it is owned by Mawlamyine Cement Limited (MCL).

Reported by Guiding Star
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI