"Water is life. If we don't protect the Tanintharyi River, the lives and livelihood of local villagers who depend on the river will be destroyed. We must prevent the destruction of the river for the sake of future generations. We gather here to show our disagreement with gold mining in the Tanintharyi River." - Rev. Kwee Wah, a local villager from the Tanintharyi River basin

This video documents a joint Buddhist-Christian prayer service organized by local people from the Tanintharyi River basin to show their opposition to the mechanized gold mining operations recently started by the Shwe Tun Pauk Company in the Tanintharyi River. More than 200 villagers – representing 60 villages – travelled by boat to join the prayer service from distances as far as 160km downstream. The group also inspected the mining operation, and asked to see paperwork proving that the Shwe Tun Pauk Company had legal permission to conduct gold mining in the Tanintharyi River.

The villagers did not receive satisfactory answers from the on-site labourers, and demanded a public meeting with Ko Cho – the head of the Shwe Tun Pauk Company. A public meeting with Ko Cho was held on 8 January 2016, and video documentation from the meeting can be watched here [ Ссылка ] and here [ Ссылка ]

The Tanintharyi River is the lifeblood of our people, and the heritage given to our generation by our ancestors. It is not for any individual or private company to destroy and profit from. It is everyone’s responsibility to transfer the benefits of the Tanintharyi River to our future generations.

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