Residents are opposing an attempt to expand rare-earth mining operations to an area near Chipwi Town in Kachin State’s Chipwi District, where Chinese business operators are leading efforts to launch a new extraction project.
Villagers from Jeitlwal, located about four miles from Chipwi Town, said they are resisting a plan to mine rare-earth minerals near their village out of concern that it would damage the environment and threaten their livelihoods. They have also appealed to the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) to intervene and resolve the dispute.
Around two miles from Jeitlwal lies the old Sheezaw village site, where villagers had previously lived. Chinese operators are now planning to open a rare-earth mine at that site.
According to locals, Chinese businessmen are pressuring other villagers to sign consent forms through two Sheezaw residents with whom they have already reached an agreement.
“Jeitlwal villagers do not agree to rare-earth mining near the village. But the Chinese businessmen have persuaded two locals and are now using them to pressure the rest of the villagers into signing letters saying they agree. The KIO has said it will allow rare-earth mining in designated areas if locals approve it, and if they do not agree, it will not allow it. That’s why the Chinese operators are using every possible way to pressure villagers into signing consent letters,” a Jeitlwal resident said.
The two Sheezaw residents through whom the operators are allegedly seeking signatures from villagers are U Zao Dai and U Tein Yein.
“Out of 32 households, 30 completely reject it. But they are threatening people and trying to collect signatures of support from villagers. The two men acting on behalf of the Chinese businessmen have told villagers that even if people object, they will make the mining project go ahead anyway. They’ve also threatened that families opposing the project will not be hired as workers once operations begin. For now, they’ve already put up temporary tarpaulin tents at the old village site. Once they get all the villagers’ signatures agreeing to it, they will start the mining,” the same source said.
Jeitlwal villagers said they fear that if rare-earth mines are established near their community, local water sources, grazing land and farmland will be damaged or lost. At present, residents in the rural areas around Chipwi Town rely mainly on mountain streams for drinking water.
For that reason, Jeitlwal villagers submitted a written request to KIO authorities in April, asking them to ban rare-earth mining in areas surrounding inhabited villages. When KNG contacted the KIO for comment on the issue, a KIO official responded that mining operations would not be permitted in areas where locals do not agree.
Jeitlwal is not the only village affected. Rare-earth mining operations are now also being seen around other villages near Chipwi Town. Similar operations have begun appearing near Ray-Ban and Nungboke villages, also close to Chipwi.
Although residents in the Chipwi area oppose rare-earth mining moving closer to populated areas, they also fear retaliation and security risks if they speak out publicly against the projects.
In the past, rare-earth mining in Chipwi District was concentrated mostly around Pang War Town, near the Chinese border. Those operations were largely confined to remote mountainous areas far from Chipwi Town. Now, however, the mining is gradually moving closer to the town itself.
