Resource information
Pinpet Mountain under imminent threat
as iron project speeds ahead....
"Excavation of Burma’s second largest iron deposit located
in southern Shan State is imminent as bulldozers begin
preparatory clearing on the iconic Pinpet Mountain, home
to 7,000 people. The 300 residents in Pang Ngo village are
in immediate danger from falling rocks and landslides as
machines uproot trees, clear brush and remove top soil on
the west side of the mountain. Farm fi elds at the foot of the
mountain may be covered with toxic waste soils once the
excavation starts as ore samples at the site have tested
high for arsenic content.
Construction activities at the secretive iron factory
compound are also racing ahead. Underground bunkers
are now complete and a massive new crushing facility (see inside) now
towers above the compound walls. Surveys for uranium conducted on the
mountain in the past continue to fuel persistent concerns that this project is
linked to Burma’s nuclear plans.
Meanwhile according to authorities the forced relocation of nearby villages
will begin after the military regime’s sham elections, beginning with the
extraction of a community graveyard in December. Land confi scation
continues unabated. Local villagers are calling to stop the project, protect
the mountain and save the main waterway for the entire Hopone valley from
toxic pollution before it’s too late..."
This briefing is an update of PYO’s report, "Robbing the Future published in June 2009".
