Activists march to Myanmar Consulate in Chiang Mai to demand halt to transboundary river pollution

Environmental activists and local residents marched to the Myanmar Consulate in Chiang Mai on Aug. 3 demanding that the military regime in Naypyidaw take immediate action to stop mining operations responsible for severe transboundary heavy metal contamination along the Thailand–Myanmar border.

Organized by the People’s Network for the Protection of the Kok, Sai, Ruak, and Mekong Rivers, the demonstration saw campaigners march from Wat Santitham to the consulate grounds.

The rally was strategically timed ahead of an official state visit by Myanmar regime leader Min Aung Hlaing to Bangkok on August 6–7 to meet with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.