Deformed fish spark mining fears

Reports of deformed fish in northern Thailand have intensified concerns over toxic pollution from rare earth and tungsten mines in eastern Myanmar, where unregulated operations are expanding rapidly along the border.

Environmental groups warn that chemical run‑off from mines in Shan State is contaminating rivers that feed into the Mekong, a lifeline for tens of millions across Southeast Asia. Thailand’s pollution department has already detected arsenic above safe levels in the Kok River, Chiang Rai province.

Myanmar is now among the world’s top producers of rare earths, vital for smartphones and electric vehicles, with most exports heading to China. Extraction often relies on in‑situ leaching, a process that pumps chemicals into the ground to dissolve minerals, leaving behind hazardous waste. A US think tank, the Stimson Centre, reported last year that 75 new mines had appeared in Myanmar and Laos since 2015, many linked to rare earths.

“The source of unregulated mines is expanding very fast in Shan State. They are pouring toxins into our rivers, and the situation is getting worse,” said Pianporn Deetes of the Rivers and Rights movement. On World Environment Day, she led a river walk with civil society groups and villagers worried about their health after finding fish with deformities.

The resource rush is also drawing in foreign powers. A large Chinese tungsten mine in Mong Jawd began operations in February, backed by the United Wa State Army, while a Russian joint venture with Myanmar’s junta is preparing to excavate tungsten nearby. Satellite images show scars on forested hillsides, and villagers fear waste run‑off will damage farmland.

The Chinese embassy in Bangkok responded to growing concern, stressing its commitment to protecting the Mekong ecosystem and warning that state‑backed firms that harm the environment “will face the full consequences of the law”.

But campaigners say opaque networks of armed groups, warlords and foreign investors make regulation almost impossible. With demand for rare earths and tungsten soaring, communities along the Mekong fear they will be left with poisoned rivers and ruined livelihoods.

-2026-06-08