Explore past headlines, AI summaries and source reporting. Full articles follow the FREE and PRO access rules.
Page 151
Union Minister for Electricity and Energy U Ko Ko Lwin on Saturday inspected electricity-related operations in Nay Pyi Taw Union Territory to improve power supply and reduce electricity losses. The Union Minister visited
Union Minister for Labour U Khin Maung Soe visited factories in Nay Pyi Taw and inspected healthcare services provided to workers through the Social Security Board’s Mobile Medical Unit. The Union Minister visited Maple
Vice Chairman of the National Disaster Management Committee Union Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Dr. Soe Win on Saturday visited flood-affected areas in Laymyethna Township of Ayeyawady Region, caus
Ayeyawady Region Chief Minister U Aye Kyaw on Saturday inspected the damaged section of the Ngawun Dam in Laymyethna Township and reviewed flood prevention and rescue operations. The Chief Minister and officials inspecte
The RBE train traveling from Pyin Oo Lwin to Goteik on the Mandalay–Lashio railway line derailed on Saturday morning. The incident occurred at around 8:17 a.m. between Pyin Oo Lwin and Pwe Kauk stations when heavy rain c
Government officials and support personnel arrived in Khampat with relief supplies to help restore public administration and basic services after authorities regained control of the town. A total of 37 people, including
Mekong | August 1 Public farmlands near Naung Taung and Nyaung Pin villages in Hpa-kawng Township, southern Shan State, have been designated and seized by the military as military-owned land, and subsequently distributed
Mekong, August 2 The water level of the Mae Sai River, which flows through Tachileik town in eastern Shan State, continues to be at the warning level of 390 centimeters as of the measurement taken at 9:30 AM on August 2n
The Women’s League of Burma (WLB), an umbrella organization representing 12 ethnic women’s groups across Myanmar, premiered a documentary film titled “Field of Sorrows” alongside a panel discussion on conflict-related se
Women’s League of Burma (WLB) has launched the documentary “Field of Sorrows,” followed by a panel discussion titled “Fighting for justice in a broken system: The struggle of Women in a conflict zone” on 31 July 2026.,It
Mizzima Commentary Rare earth mining in Myanmar has been the subject of a raft of serious investigative reports over the last five years since the Myanmar military illegally grabbed power in 2021. The environmental damage it causes, the lack of controls and the poor working conditions for the labour force are reasons why local people and NGOs raise banners and protest, calling for an end to the destruction. But Mission Impossible might be the best way to label the pushback against the mining due to a number of factors that block intervention – and the insatiable appetite China, newcomer India and the US have for these rare earths. Let’s face it, protests led by local people in the badlands of northeastern Myanmar and by Buddhist monks across the border in Thailand may hit the headlines and add “rare earth mining” to the subjects up for political and public discussion. But getting to grips with tackling the environmental and human fallout is a tough call. WHY THE DEMAND? Digging for rare earths is the world’s new “gold rush”, a mining drive that has developed over the last decade in various regions around the world, but largely in China and Myanmar. The primary heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) mined in Myanmar specifically are Dysprosium (Dy) and Terbium (Tb). Together, they are often referred to in the mining industry as “DyTb”. While Myanmar also extracts small trace amounts of other heavy elements like Yttrium, Holmium, and Lutetium, Dysprosium and Terbium dominate the supply chain. Dysprosium and Terbium are rarely used to build whole objects on their own. Instead, they act as critical additives (or “dopants”) that are blended in small amounts (typically 1 per cent to 10 per cent) into standard Neodymium-Iron-Boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets. Adding Dysprosium and Terbium dramatically increases a magnet’s coercivity (resistance to demagnetization) and thermal stability. Without them, regular magnets lose their magnetic force and fail completely when exposed to high operational heat. Unlike lighter rare earths, there are no known viable substitutes at scale for Dysprosium and Terbium in high-performance engineering. This makes the informal, often dangerous mines in northern Myanmar the literal starting point for the global “green energy” transition and advanced defense manufacturing, including a raft of new technology weapons including drones, as well as electric vehicles and consumer electronics, including elements used in smartphones. Rare earths are baked in to new technology. LATEST MINING REPORT According to a recently released Rest of World report, entitled: “The hidden cost of Myanmar’s rare earth mines”, many countries consider rare earths to be “critical minerals” – vital to economic and security interests but vulnerable to supply chain disruption. As competition for control over supply chains intensifies, rare earth extraction has left a wake of destruction in source countries. Myanmar, the world’s largest supplier of Dysprosium and Terbium, is now enduring a disproportionate burden. Myanmar is now in the spotlight. According to the environmental nonprofit Global Witness, Myanmar surpassed China as the world’s largest source of heavy rare earths in 2021. As the US, China and India seek tighter control over rare earth supply chains as a means to advance their national interests, their demand is indirectly funding conflict actors in Myanmar during a time of war, incentivizing rapid extraction with minimal or no safeguards, and causing a wave of destruction. ENVIRONMENTAL & HUMAN COST Myanmar’s rare earth mining industry operates in secret, with no public records of active permits or companies involved. Worksites are heavily guarded, and only a handful of journalists have reported on the ground over the past decade, according to the Rest of World report. Still, news has trickled out of poisoned rivers, forests devoid of wildlife, and farmland so toxic that growers cannot sell their crops. Intermittent protests by local people and Thais over the border dismayed by the damage occasionally make the news. In May, a local human rights group reported that a Chinese rare earth mining company in Myanmar’s eastern Shan State was using prisoners and human trafficking victims for “slave labour.” It found that both the Myanmar military and the United Wa State Army (UWSA), an ethnic army which maintains a ceasefire with the Myanmar military, were complicit, according to the report. FEW CONTROLS The businesses carrying out this extraction face few consequences in Myanmar — in part because the industry operates in a legal gray area. Chinese companies extract rare earths in autonomous, militarized regions controlled by local ethnic armies, which typically protect mining operations while taking a cut of the profits. The mined material is then trucked across the border into China, where it is mixed and essentially “laundered” with rare earth from other sources and processed for use in global products – which can mean an electric vehicle purchaser in Europe would be unable to know where the materials used in its manufacture are sourced, even if they were interested. A recent report by the Stimson Center entitled: “Rare Earth Mining in Myanmar Expands to TNLA-Held Territory”, zeroes in on a particular area and militant group, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), which coincidentally recently held talks with the ruling Myanmar military junta in Naypyidaw. For the first time, rare earth mines are emerging in territory controlled by the TNLA, close to the border with China, in Myanmar’s Shan State. This report revelation builds on work undertaken by the Stimson Center over the past year to document and geolocate thousands of mines across mainland Southeast Asia, including over 600 rare earth mines in Myanmar. The report zeroes in on the struggles the TNLA has faced, including the aftermath of its military involvement in Operation 1027. Rare earth mining has begun to appear in TNLA-held territory, the Stimson Center reports. Satellite imagery analysis over the past seven months in northern Shan State’s Mantong Township shows the development of at least 12 rare earth mines and new corresponding roads connecting these minesto established roads leading towards the Chinese border. Collection pools, where heavy rare earth-laden slurry accumulate through the extraction process and clear markers of rare earth mining in Myanmar, appear in TNLA territory as early as December 2025. While it is difficult to determine the current stage of these developments, the leaching process in general takes between 150 and 400 days, which suggests exports by the TNLA to China may have already begun, the report says. FINANCIAL LIFELINE The TNLA mining case is an example of the temptation rare earth mining offers to militant groups or Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAO) in the badlands of Myanmar, a
Myanmar’s leader Min Aung Hlaing publicly called out Elon Musk’s satellite internet firm Starlink on Friday as one of the tools used by the country’s thriving online scam industry. An AFP investigation last year revealed
FOOD is an essential necessity for all living beings to survive and sustain life. The energy obtained from adequate nutri- tion supports daily activities, physical growth, intellectual development, and protection against
THE Road Transport Ad-ministration Department has introduced a new procedure to reissue QR codes for vehicle owners whose licence plate numbers were fraudulently used by others to purchase fuel. Vehicle owners affected b
THE Yangon Interna- tional Schools Industry Report 2026-2027 Launch & Panel Seminar will take place on 26 August in Yangon, organized by MMRD Industry Insight. Private-school mar- ket report launches were previously held
YANGON Port will han-dle 55 container vessels in August 2026, the Myanma Port Authority announced. Ten container vessels run by M/S Cosco Ship-ping Line, nine by M/S SITC Shipping Line, six by M/S One Line, five each by
THE Myanmar Rice Fed-eration (MRF) participat-ed in the Myanmar-Japan Business Forum on 28 July at the Myanmar Conven-tion Centre in Mayangon Township, showcasing local produce, exploring agribusi-ness investment potenti
A total of 303 members from terrorist groups, namely KIA, KNU, AA, ABSDF, SAF and PSF, who accept the peace process of the State and Tatmadaw, have rejoined society. Those returnees were handed over to parents and guardi
A ceremony to honour and welcome back Tatmadaw members who returned from frontline duties after conducting security operations to ensure national stability and regional peace was held at a local battalion in Monghsat Tow
STARTING from 1 Au- gust, charges for a rec- ommendation letter and leave form will be collect- ed at 10,000 Korean won, announced by the Myan- mar Embassy in the Re- public of Korea. Regarding the an- nouncement by the
The 32nd Pakokku U Ohn Pe Literary Award for Lifetime Achievement has been awarded to veteran writers U Pe Nyein (Kyaw Zaw Han) and U Soe Win (Tekkatho Soe Yin). The Pakokku U Ohn Pe Literary Award for Lifetime Achieveme
THE Myanmar Astronom- ical Society and Environ- mental Society (MASES) will organize a free Pub- lic Speaking and Science Knowledge Sharing Pro- gramme for young people interested in discussing environmental issues, ligh
THE Government of My-anmar officially handed over 40 volumes of the Pitaka (Buddhist Canon) and 51 volumes of Com-mentaries (Atthakatha) to the Buddhist Archives of Luang Prabang in Laos during a ceremony held on 31 July
AN RBE train operating on the Mandalay-Lashio railway route derailed on Saturday morning after heavy rainfall caused sand and soil to cover the railway tracks. The two-coach RBE train, operating the uphill Gokhteik-1 ser
THE opening ceremony for the operation of No 73 Up/No 74 Down DEMU trains on the Yangon-Pyay railway section was held at Pyay Railway Station on 31 July.,Bago Region Chief Minister U Myo Swe Win delivered an opening spee
A prayer ceremony for lasting peace was held at Dawei City Hall in Dawei, Taninthayi Region, at 9 am yesterday, with Chief Minister U Zaw Naing Oo calling on all citizens to participate in building peace as a national re
IN honour of Tatmadaw personnel carrying out national defence and security duties, the Myanmar Interfaith Dialogue Group (Central) organized its 11th blood donation drive at the No 1 Defence Services General Hospital (1,
TO keep Falam Township in Chin State clean and beautiful, Tatmadaw per- sonnel, police personnel, fire service members, and departmental staff jointly carried out cleaning ac- tivities, including clearing bushes and tree
THE Ministry of Electricity and Energy is accelerat-ing the replacement of underperforming electricity meters and those that have been in service for more than 20 years, while also expediting the installation of new mete
WITH financial support from the State Economic Promotion Fund, Phyo Wai Wai Paper and Book Manu- facturing Cooperative Ltd, based in Myitkyina, Kachin State, has successfully be- gun producing double-sided smooth paper a
THE National Red Cross Youth Forum is being held at the Rose Garden Hotel in Yangon for three days, from 31 July to 2 August, according to the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS). The forum is jointly organized by the MRCS,
MYANMAR Business Trade Show & Travel Expo 2026, organized by STP Event Management, will take place on 4 September at the Pacific Ballroom of Pan Pacific Yangon Hotel in Yangon under the theme “From Visit Myanmar Year 199
THE Myanmar Coffee Association (MCA) and Western Highlands Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute of Vietnam (WASI) in Buon Ma Thuot, Vietnam, met to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the coffee sector. MCA Chair U
Media need to lend their support by serving as a bridge between the Hluttaw and the public, and by help-ing in the ongoing efforts to build a Hluttaw trying to earn the trust and con-fidence of the people and contributes
In Hlaymyethna Township, Ayeyarwady Region, where the Ngwan River dam breached and caused flooding, 1,320 houses, 1,333 households, and 6,747 people have been evacuated to safety. No human or animal casualties have been
The Ministry of Finance and Revenue announced that the tax exemption for the import of diesel, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and fertilizers has been extended until August 31. According to the announcement, the exemption