Radio Free Asia reports that residents of northern Shan state’s Pa-O Autonomous Region are up in arms over the Burmese government’s decision to extend the operation period of a Chinese-owned coal-fired power plant that they say has exceeded land use specifications, severely polluted the local environment, and jeopardized their health and their livelihoods.
The Pa-O Youth Organization says the plant piles mountains of waste byproducts directly behind people’s homes, pollutes local water resources and leads to respiratory problems, high blood pressure, headaches, premature and underweight births, and skin diseases.
Wuxi Huaguang Electric Power Engineering Co. Ltd., which owns and operates the plant, is on Burma Campaign UK’s Dirty List.