Over the previous year dozens of families have been driven of their land to make way for mining operations. Most were given little or no compensation, according to a researcher that recently visited the area.
Padip Gam Awng’s younger brother Padip Tu is also actively involved including the taxation of small scale artisanal miners. The artisanal miners working at the site are taxed about 150,000 Kyat each per day.
The gold mining process involves the use of mercury, cyanide and other toxic chemicals. Run off from the riverside mines flows directly into the local river. Environmental activists from Kachin Development Networking Group (KDNG) say this will have serious and long term repercussions on the ecosystem.
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