MAE HONG SON — The Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) believes toxic contamination detected in the Salween River may have originated from Chinese-owned mines in Myanmar’s Shan State, rather than from long-established tin mines in Karenni areas.
General Bee Htoo, the KNPP’s military leader, said on November 4 that while it remains unclear where the heavy metals found in recent tests came from, the tin mines in Karenni State “have operated for over a century without problems.” He suggested the pollution was more likely caused by Chinese mining activities in Shan State, where large-scale extraction has expanded in recent years.
Local concern grows along Thai border
Pongpipat Meebenjamart, chairman of the Mae Sam Laep Subdistrict Administrative Organization in Sop Moei district, Mae Hong Son, said communities along the Salween are alarmed by reports of arsenic contamination. “People are too afraid to touch the water,” he said, adding that while boat traffic remains normal, uncertainty persists over whether fish from the river are safe to eat. “Fish are vital to the local economy — since the news broke, people have stopped buying them, and restaurants have removed Salween fish from their menus.”
He said most riverside villages rely on mountain water supply systems, except for houseboats that filter and boil river water. “The government should help drill groundwater wells along nearby streams as a long-term solution,” Pongpipat said.
Academics call for swift action
Associate Professor Malee Sithikriengkrai of Chiang Mai University’s Center for Ethnic Studies and Development said the contamination “is not surprising,” given that the Salween passes through parts of Shan State with intensive mining. However, she noted that the situation differs from the contamination crisis in the Kok River earlier this year.
“Communities along the Salween straddle both sides of the Thai-Myanmar border — ethnic minorities who depend entirely on the river for drinking, bathing, and farming,” she said. “They have heard about the contamination, but no one knows how dangerous it is or what precautions to take. No agency has taken responsibility or offered guidance.”
Malee warned that pollution could devastate communities already facing hardship from conflict and displacement. “Mining for profit is deepening the suffering of local people who have endured war, poverty, and neglect. Now they must face an environmental crisis as well.”
She urged the Thai government to respond systematically and learn from its “failures in managing pollution in the Kok and Sai rivers.” “Authorities must accept the reality and listen to local voices,” she said.
Earlier, the Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) reported that at least 26 rare-earth mining sites have been established in northern Shan State’s Mong Bwak Township, areas controlled by the United Wa State Army (UWSA) close to China border, warning of escalating environmental impacts across the Salween basin.
This is a translation of original Thai article https://transbordernews.in.th/home/?p=44359
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