The 54 year-old farmer Loong Sarm bled to death at a gold mine in the Loi Kham Hills near Nar Hai Long Village when he was shot by Burma Army soldiers from Battalion 330.

He was part of a group of villagers trying to monitor the activities of the Loi Kham Long Mining Company after it had been told by the Shan State Ministry of Mines to stop mining in July 2014 because of the damage being caused to villagers' health and livelihoods. Five other people were also seriously injured by the soldiers.

The memorial ceremony was held in Loong Sarm's home village of Nai Hai Long, in Tachileik Township 54 days after he died. It was organised by the Shan Farmers’ Network, of which he was an active member.

A Shan Farmers' Network 8 December press release said: "The troops, from Battalion 330 [based] in Mong Phyak, who opened fire are claiming they shot in self-defence, even though the villagers were unarmed and were already leaving the area when they were shot at."

Farmers in the area say that over 300 acres of arable land are now unusable due to the toxins released by the Loi Kham Long Co. and Sai Saik Pyo Ye mining companies, which are both still active in the region.

Nang La, a representative of the Shan Farmers' Network, said that until now the villagers have only been compensated for the loss of 168 acres of land

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Shan State farmers attend a ceremony to honor Loong Sarm, a farmer killed outside a mine on 13 October (Photo: Shan Farmers’ Network)

Local water sources have also become so polluted by mining waste that they are unusable for irrigation, bathing or drinking.

Nang La is worried that the government and mining companies have ignored Loong Sarm’s killing and the destruction of the farmers’ livelihoods.

She said: “Since Loong Sarm died, no representative from the company has talked about this issue. The local authorities didn’t take any responsibility, only the villagers dealt with the case and gave support. We want the company to take responsibility for his death.”

SHAN tried to contact management at Burma's Ministry of Mines by phone and e mail to ask them about Loong Sarm's death and the ongoing mining in eastern Shan State, but as they went to press for this report the ministry had yet to respond.
The Shan Farmers’ Network says it will continue to lobby for an end to gold mining and the restoration of the local environment.

Nang La said: “We have always demanded that the companies stop operations immediately and compensate for all of the losses.”

Shan State is rich in minerals, including gold, silver, rubies, coal, lead and zinc, yet Burma has been ranked one of the world’s least transparent countries regarding resource revenue and governance.

By SAI AW and SIMMA FRANCIS / Shan Herald Agency for News  (S.H.A.N)
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI