Activists allege rights abuse by foreign mining firms in Myanmar
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Yangon (dpa) - Rights activists urged the governments of Canada, China and Britain Tuesday to investigate a mining project in Myanmar that has been accused of abusing the rights of local residents.
Amnesty International said a Chinese copper mine project in the central division of Sagaing should be halted immediately.
"The Monywa project is a cautionary tale on investment in Myanmar, where corporate projects are too often marked by abuses and communities are ripped apart in the pursuit of profit," said Meghna Abraham, an Amnesty researcher.
It alleged that authorities misled villagers by offering compensation for crop damage, then using the payments as a basis to claim their land.
Hundreds of families protested the evictions to make room for the Myanmar Wanbao Mining Copper Co Ltd mine, it said.
Amnesty said police raided one protest camp in 2012 using toxic white phosphorous gas. Part of the attack was launched from inside the Wanbao company compound, the report said.
"The use of white phosphorous by the security forces against the protestors constituted torture, a crime under international law," Abraham said.
