Ex-political prisoners protest in Myitkyina against Myitsone dam

Anti-Myitsond dam protesters voice their anger at the projects backer CPI

A group of anti-dam activists that included former political prisoners staged a protest in the Kachin state capital Myitkyina today against the Myitsone dam. The protesters carried banners denouncing the Chinese state owned firm behind the billion dollar project which remains stalled but not cancelled.

The protesters want the project completely stopped and are against efforts by China Power International (CPI) to resume the project which was suspended in September 2011 by presidential decree.

The protesters began their march from a monastery and headed towards the Myitsone dam site some 27 miles from Myitkyina. The protesters carried banners from the League of Former Political Prisoners while they marched alongside a truck with a banner that read “Stop the Myitsone dam project immediately”.

U Ye Htut Khaung, a former political prisoner who organized the protest told the Kachin News Group that the protesters were very upset with CPI. “We’d have to alert people again because CPI is planning to resume dam construction.  We learned that China financially supported Burma for the December SEA Games apparently in order to resume dam construction.”

The marchers, according to Ye Htu Khaung also want to inform the Burmese and Chinese governments as well as CPI that the dam's construction is completely impossible because the entire population of Burma opposes the project which will severely impact the upper waters of the storied Irrawaddy river.

This evening the activists plan to stay at Dum Gan village and meet with local villagers to discuss their campaign. They will continue walking to the Myitsone dam site tomorrow.

More than 40 marchers took part in the demonstration. Many of the protesters were from religious organizations. Other members of the group were from the Kachin State Democracy Party and local community based organizations, Ye Hut Khaung said.

Activists call for KIO to discuss dam at next week peace talks

During his interview with KNG Ye Htut Khaung suggested that the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) bring up the fate of the Mytitsone dam next week when they meet with the government and military representatives for peace talks in Myitkyina.

In March 2011 the KIO wrote a letter to Chinese authorities that called for the dam not to go forward. The letter noted that the KIO ‘informed the military government that KIO would not be responsible for the civil war if the war broke out because of this hydropower plant project and the dam construction’. Just months later in June 2011 the KIO's 17 year ceasefire with the central government collapsed.