KIO Pledges to Stand With Public Against Myanmar Junta's Revival of Myitsone Dam Project

Waingmaw residents protest against the resumption of the Myitsone Dam project on World Rivers Day.

MYITKYINA, Myanmar — The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) has reaffirmed its opposition to the controversial Myitsone hydropower project, declaring it will stand strictly with the public against any development lacking local consent.

The statement comes as Myanmar's military junta escalates efforts to resume the suspended Chinese-backed mega-dam complex on the Ayeyarwady River.

After the junta chief Min Aung Hlaing visited China in June, the regime announced an agreement with Beijing to complete the project within eight and a half years.

KIO and Kachin Independence Army (KIA) spokesperson Colonel Naw Bu emphasized that the organization represents the public's wishes and will not back projects the people oppose.

Meanwhile, local civil society groups report intensified regime pressure on communities to organize pro-dam rallies, alongside a December 2025 junta directive threatening legal action against opponents of the project.

Despite these threats, residents gathered at the confluence of the N’Mai and Mali Kha rivers on World Rivers Day (Sept. 26) to protest the restart.

Rights monitors warn that forcing ahead with the 15-year-stalled seven-dam project will heighten public outrage, political instability, and ongoing conflict across Kachin State.