Bago villagers alarmed at mine project
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Bago Region residents recently took part in the prayer "protest" against a mining project in a 70,000-acre site near their village of Nawpel in Kyaukkyi Township, Taungoo District. About 100 villagers joined the prayer.
"We learned that two companies have been permitted to mine near our village. We heavily rely on agriculture and are very worried about the side effects such as chemical reactions, deforestation and other environmental problems. We are saying prayers to prevent any ill effects coming to us," said Naw Tapi Thar, a member of Kyaukkyi Township Natural Resources Conservation Committee.
"They're working with heavy machinery and 12-wheeled trucks at night until around 10 or 11pm. This is dishonest," said Myint Thaung, a village activist.
"We applied for official permission to farm and extract stones in the area and were denied, saying the area is a forest reserve. What now?" said Ko Waing from the township.
