Rare earth mining in Myanmar, particularly in the Sagaing Region and eastern Shan State, is booming due to the country's unstable economy following a 2021 military coup and mandatory conscription. Workers, often desperate for income, face hazardous conditions and toxic chemicals, with documented fatal landslides and reports of slave labor involving prisoners and trafficking victims. Chinese companies operate these mines in autonomous regions controlled by ethnic armies, with profits shared and the extracted materials laundered into China's supply chain. This extraction, crucial for technologies like electric vehicles and advanced weapons, is causing significant environmental damage, including poisoned rivers and toxic farmland, with little accountability for the companies involved. AI
RANK_REASON The article details significant geopolitical and human rights issues tied to a critical mineral supply chain. [lever_c_demoted from significant: ic=1 ai=0.1]
- China
- Grist
- Myanmar
- Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
- Rainforest Investigations Network
- Rest of World
- Sagaing Region
- United Wa State Army
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