Impossible Mission – Difficult Challenge to Control Rare Earth Mining in Myanmar Amidst Widespread Destruction

Numerous investigative reports have emerged over the past five years concerning rare earth mining in Myanmar, particularly since the military junta's illegitimate seizure of power in 2021. Environmental destruction, lack of control, and poor working conditions for laborers have been the reasons for local communities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to hold placards and demand that these destructive practices be stopped. However, it would be most appropriate to label this resistance against mining by the newcomers India, the United States, and China, which has an insatiable appetite for rare earths, as a "Mission Impossible," given the many factors hindering intervention. To accept the facts, protests by locals in Myanmar's northeastern regions and by Buddhist monks on the Thai side can hit the headlines and bring "rare earth mining" into the realm of political and public discourse. However, tackling the adverse impacts on the environment and the public is a difficult challenge. Why is the demand so high? Rare earth mining is a new global "gold rush," a mining operation that has rapidly developed over the past decade worldwide, especially in China and Myanmar. The heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) primarily mined in Myanmar are Dysprosium (Dy) and Terbium (Tb). In the mining industry, these two are often combined and referred to as "DyTb." Myanmar also extracts small amounts of other heavy rare earth elements such as Yttrium, Holmium, and Lutetium. However, Dysprosium and Terbium dominate the entire supply chain. Dysprosium and Terbium are rarely used alone to make a product. Instead, they serve as important dopants (or "dopants") that are mixed in small quantities (typically 1% to 10%) into regular Neodymium-Iron-Boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets. The addition of Dysprosium and Terbium significantly improves the coercivity and temperature stability of the magnet. Without them, ordinary magnets lose their magnetism and are completely damaged when they encounter high operating temperatures. Unlike light rare earth elements, there is still no effective alternative for Dysprosium and Terbium in high-performance engineering applications. This fact has made the illegal and dangerous mines in northern Myanmar the very first step for the world's "clean energy" transition, advanced defense production of the latest technological weapons including drones, electric cars, and consumer electronics, including the elements used in smartphones. Rare earths are an indispensable component of new technologies. Latest mining report A recently released report by Rest of World, "The hidden cost of Myanmar’s rare earth mines," states that many countries consider rare earths as "critical minerals" that are highly important for economic and security interests but are also vulnerable to supply chain disruptions. As competition for control over supply chains intensifies, rare earth extraction has left behind a trail of extensive destruction in the producing countries. Myanmar, the world's largest supplier of Dysprosium and Terbium, is now bearing an unequal burden. Myanmar has now become the center of attention. According to Global Witness, an environmental watchdog NGO, Myanmar surpassed China in 2021 to become the world's largest producer of heavy rare earth metals. As the United States, China, and India strive to gain tighter control over rare earth supply chains to promote their national interests, their demands are indirectly channeling funds to conflict actors in Myanmar during the war period, pushing for rapid extraction with little or no protection, and causing a wave of destruction. Environmental and public costs Myanmar's clandestine rare earth mining operations run without any public records of operating licenses or the companies involved. The work sites are heavily guarded, and only a handful of journalists have been able to report from the ground over the past decade, according to the Rest of World report. However, news has leaked out about poisoned rivers, forests devoid of wildlife, and agricultural land so contaminated that farmers cannot sell their crops. Sporadic protests by frustrated locals and people on the Thai border due to the destruction have occasionally made headlines. A report by a local human rights group in May indicated that a Chinese rare earth mining company in Shan State, eastern Myanmar, was using prisoners and trafficked individuals as "slave labor." The report found that both the Myanmar military junta and the Wa State Army (UWSA), an ethnic armed group that has a ceasefire with the military, were involved in this practice. Almost no control The business entities carrying out this metal extraction face few repercussions in Myanmar. This is because the operation is conducted within a legally ambiguous area. Chinese companies extract rare earths in autonomous military regions controlled by local ethnic armed groups that receive a share of the profits and protect the mining operations. The extracted materials are then transported across the border into China by truck.