Interview: Tackling the environmental impacts of rare earth mining in Myanmar

Mizzima

Rare earth mining in Myanmar’s Kachin State has expanded rapidly since the 2021 coup and is now moving into Shan State. The area is controlled by the ethnic armed organization the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), while much of the extracted material is processed in China for use in electric vehicles, wind turbines and defense technology.

In this exclusive interview with Mizzima, Tara Buakamsri, a co-founder of Greenpeace Southeast Asia and current director of the Bangkok-based Climate Connectors, talks about where the mining is heading next, Thailand’s role in the supply chain, and why accountability for the industry keeps falling through the cracks between Myanmar, China and Thailand.

Rare earth mining was one of the subjects covered at the 5th International Conference on Burma Studies held 14–16 August in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Mizzima: Your presentation showed rare earth mining entering a new phase. Which specific areas should we be watching most closely, Kachin, Shan, or even across the border in Laos?