Extractive industries
Mining
New facility worries activists
Activists say a new sand-processing facility is under construction in Koh Kong’s Tatai Wildlife Sanctuary, in the vicinity of the area where two companies were granted permission to conduct environmental impact assessments (EIAs) for sand-dredging projects, documents show, despite a standing government ban on sand ...
Land compensation issue remains unresolved
Although a verbal promise had been made for compensation to be paid for lands which were seized from a subsidiary of a Chinese firm Wanbao Mining, Myanmar Yang Tse is still operating the Sabetaung and Kyisintaung mines beside Letpadaung.The lands have been seized twice, between ...
Chinese traders prefer Hpakant over Mandalay gems market
Buyers from China have found it much easier to do business in the mines of Hpakant than in Mandalay’s Maha Aung Myay Gems Trading Centre, the city’s largest emporium which features more than 1000 shops, especially if they want to buy raw or uncut jades. “I have ...
Dầu Tiếng Reservoir sand mining suspended
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked the provinces of Tây Ninh, Bình Dương and Bình Phước to suspend sand mining operations at Dầu Tiếng Reservoir, following an order from the Government. The ministry told officials to adjust planning for construction sites and ...
Cold-water fish a gold mine
Hoang Van Ta, 53, was the first person to farm salmon in his commune in the mountainous province of Lang Son in 2007. Now he earns as much as VND4-5 billion (US$180,000-$220,000) a year from salmon. Mau Son Commune, Loc Binh District is located about 170km ...
Coal miners owe the Indonesian government hundreds of millions of dollars
Indonesia is now one of the world’s largest exporters of coal, an industry that contributes around four percent of the country’s gross domestic product mostly through exports to China and India. Despite its massive size, however, observers are concerned that the sector’s actual contribution to ...
15 mining projects see concessions revoked
Fifteen mining operations have had their concessions revoked after investors failed to implement their projects as agreed after they were granted concessions by the government. Speaking at the ongoing ordinary session of the National Assembly last week, Minister of Energy and Mines Dr Khammany Inthirath ...
Four mining licences put up for bids
The Ministry of Mines and Energy has publicly announced that companies can bid for four mining exploration permits in both Kratie and Kampot provinces, marking the first time since the ministry was formed in 2013 to issue fresh licences for private companies to investigate mineral ...
Give back our alabaster mining sites: residents
Sakyin area residents in Madaya township, Mandalay Region, have urged the government to award more locals, and not companies, with permits for alabaster production. This would create more job opportunities for locals in the district, they said. Resident U Aung Htoo said the mining sites were ...
Inquiry afoot after sand shipping video goes viral
The Ministry of Mines and Energy on May 2 said it was investigating potential irregularities in the export of sand after a video from the NGO Mother Nature claiming that banned exports continued unabated went viral yesterday, racking up hundreds of thousands of “likes”. While the ...