The complex is one of around a dozen extraction operations that have sprung up in Shan state since around 2022, in territory controlled by the United Wa State Army (UWSA), one of conflict-wracked Myanmar’s largest and best-equipped ethnic armed groups.
Thai authorities say they have detected abnormally high arsenic levels in their waterways, which could pose a risk to aquatic life and the people further up the food chain.
“They say, ‘There’s arsenic. I don’t want to eat that fish’,“ he told AFP.
Experts say that while the effects on human health would not be visible immediately, the fish-heavy local diet risks a cumulative impact over several years.
“They should go fix it at the source.”
Pianporn Deetes, campaign director of the International Rivers NGO, blames the arsenic levels on Shan state’s unlicensed mines, which operate outside any regulation or control by the central government.
The mines are believed to be run by Chinese companies with close links to the UWSA, whose members themselves have longstanding ties to China, speak Mandarin and use China’s yuan currency.
But videos on Chinese social media suggest much of what is produced in Myanmar ends up being sold to Chinese buyers.
The Asian giant had imported five times as much rare earths from Myanmar in the four years since the 2021 military coup than in the equivalent preceding period, it added.
But “in Myanmar, they reportedly discharge it directly into natural waterways”, he added, increasing the risk of contamination spreading into the food chain.
AFP was unable to reach UWSA officials for comment.
From its Myanmar headwaters, the 285-kilometre (177-mile) Kok River is a vital resource for thousands of people as it wends through Chiang Rai province on its way to feed the Mekong.
The Thai government has proposed building a dam to prevent contaminated water from entering the country, but campaigners say physical barriers alone cannot stop pollution.
And Chonthicha Jangrew of Thailand’s parliamentary foreign affairs committee met senior Beijing officials last month, urging them to supervise Chinese mining firms “in order to stop the impact on people downstream”, she said.
The Myanmar junta did not respond to questions from AFP.
“But this is a clear signal,“ he added. “We need to act now.”
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