The local residents made the demand to Col Saw Chit Thu from the company during the first meeting between the company’s officials and the local residents at a monastery in Lun Nya Village on May 1.

“We won’t take the fund given to us, but please leave after the project has been completed. Another thing is to remove the asphalt plant, which is running in that place and emitting bad odor. They should help the local residents who have been affected by their project. This is our main demands,” said Saw Nyine Phyu, a local resident of Lun Nya.

The local residents have refused to take the fund from the company and demanded the company to withdraw the rock quarry project as they are worried over the project threatening their health and livelihood.

The company has received a three-year license from the government to run the project and will produce rocks from 230,000 kyin (kyin is a measurement for a hundred cubit foot).  The company has offered to pay Ks 2,000 per kyin for local development fund.

“Our Chit Linn Myaing Company applied for license from the government for the benefit of local residents. After learning about the sufferings of the local residents, our company wants to carry out in accord with the desire of the local residents. But, the government will continue to carry out its project,” Col Saw Chit Thu, who is also secretary of the Kayin State Border Guard Forces, told the local residents during the meeting.

Local residents held a press conference over the project’s lack of transparency on November 22, 2017 and submitted a letter of objection to the Kayin State Chief Minister.

The government granted license to Chit Linn Myaing Toyota Company to produce crushed rock from Lun Nya Mountain to upgrade the highway between Kawkareik and Eindu with funding from the Asia Development Bank (ADB). However, the CRBC (China Road and Bridge Corporation) has been producing the crushed rocks from the rock quarries.