October 21, 2025
Web desk
New satellite data have uncovered over 500 rare earth mining sites in Myanmar including 40 new ones in 2025 mainly across Shan and Kachin states. These unregulated mines are discharging toxic runoff into rivers that flow into northern Thailand, particularly the Kok and Sai rivers, raising serious concerns over cross-border pollution.
Communities in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces are already facing contaminated water supplies and heavy losses in farming, fishing, and tourism, estimated at around $40 million. Locals report skin rashes, dead fish, and muddy water filled with chemical residues linked to mining activities upstream.
Environmental experts from the Stimson Center warn that acids, heavy metals, and arsenic from Myanmar’s mines could spread further downstream into Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam through the Mekong River system. They’ve urged regional governments to conduct urgent water and soil testing to assess the scale of contamination.
Meanwhile, grassroots groups in Thailand have filed petitions demanding clean water sources, heavy-metal testing labs, and a halt to rare earth imports from Myanmar until the minerals are proven pollution-free. Despite growing public concern, official government response remains slow and fragmented.
