Extractive industries
Mining
Another jade mine disaster hits Hpakant
Another deadly landslide struck the jade mines in Kachin State on 14 December. At least one death has been confirmed, while up to 20 others are feared dead in the slag-heap collapse. The latest spill occurred near Lamaungkone village in Hpakant township, according to locals. Freelance, itinerate ...
Mining destroys local way of life
The mining of minerals has caused serious harm to the public’s environment, experts warned. A recent report presented at a workshop held by the People and Nature Centre (PanNature) and the Vietnam Mining Coalition showed that mining activities is a direct cause of hunger and poverty ...
Authorities introduce new safety measures in Hpakant
Amid warnings of fresh disaster beneath the lowering waste tips, Kachin State government officials and civil society are mobilising to protect local residents and demand accountability from the companies they blame for the death of more than 100 people. Rescuers have abandoned attempts to recover any ...
Mandalay gold rush cancelled
The gold rush has been cancelled, the authorities have announced. The 1000 or so hopeful gold miners who flocked into the village of Kyauk Pha when cable-layers thought they had struck lucky will just have to, well, flock off again. Keep reading ...
Relatives of landslide victims urged to reject compensation
A Kachin civil society group is urging relatives of those killed in a landslide near a Hpakant jade mine on 21 November to reject an offer of K600,000 compensation for each victim, and has reiterated threats to press charges against those involved in the mining ...
Kachin civil society group seeks charges over landslide
A Kachin civil society network is seeking to bring charges against the operator of the Hpakant jade mine which dumped the tailings that collapsed in a massive landslide on November 21, according to an area resident. The confirmed death toll from the landslide had risen to ...
Last body recovered from mine collapse in northern Vietnam
Rescuers early on 23 November recovered the body of Bui Van Quy, 23, the last of the three dead victims in a coal mine collapse in the northern province of Hoa Binh last week. His body was found behind a large rock at about 2:30 a.m., nearly 700 meters ...
Myanmar landslide: 'Many missing' at Kachin jade mine
Many people are still missing after a massive landslide at a jade mine in Myanmar’s northern Kachin state. At least 104 bodies have now been recovered, with some estimates saying more than 100 people are still missing. The incident happened in Hpakant on 21 November when a huge ...
Vietnam economy won’t be better next year: economist
Vietnam’s economy will continue to recover but at a slow pace next year, and the sustainability of its rebound appears weak, a senior economist has warned. Nguyen Dinh Cung, head of the Central Institute for Economic Management, said: “The recovery in 2013-15 was driven by the ...
Mining firms gear up for big season
With the rainy season petering out, mining companies are gearing up to resume full operations on prospects in northern and eastern Cambodia, with investors keeping a close watch as firms push to expand their resource estimates and the country prepares to open its first royalty-bearing ...