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Burmese police break up copper mine protest Burmese police break up copper mine protest
(about 1 hour later)
Police in Burma have used water cannon to break up a protest against the expansion of a copper mine near the central town of Monywa, activists say. Police in Burma have used water cannon and tear gas to break up a protest against a vast Chinese-backed copper mine in the north-west of the country.
Protesters said dozens of people were injured and their camps set on fire. Protesters said dozens were injured and their camps set alight in Monywa town.
Local farmers, monks and activists have been protesting against what they say are forced evictions to allow for the mine to be enlarged. Local farmers, monks and activists have been protesting against what they say are forced evictions to allow for the mine's expansion.
The mine, Burma's largest, is jointly owned by the Burmese military and Chinese arms manufacturer Norinco. The mine, Burma's largest, is owned by the military and Chinese arms manufacturer Norinco.
Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi had been expected to visit the protest site on Thursday to hear the protesters' grievances. The BBC's Jonathan Head, who recently visited the mine, says this is now being seen as a test case for how Burma's new government will handle growing protests around the country over land grabs that took place under military rule.
The farmers started their protest in June, saying they were forced to accept a deal two years ago under which they gave up their land in return for new housing and financial compensation. The company has said that the deal was voluntary, and that only a small minority of farmers rejected it.
The mine's billion-dollar expansion project covers several thousand hectares of land in Burma's Sagaing region.
Squads of riot police arrived at the camps early in the morning, witnesses say.
When the government issued its ultimatum to the farmers and activists camped outside the Monywa copper mine, no one could have guessed what would happen next. The rules have changed in post-military Burma, but no one is quite sure what they are.When the government issued its ultimatum to the farmers and activists camped outside the Monywa copper mine, no one could have guessed what would happen next. The rules have changed in post-military Burma, but no one is quite sure what they are.
When I was there last Saturday the police guarding the mine entrance were shocked to see a solitary monk walking past the gate and its intimidating "Restricted Area" sign, towards them. When I was there last Saturday the police guarding the mine entrance were shocked to see a solitary monk walking past the gate and its intimidating "Restricted Area" sign, towards them. One officer shouted at him to leave - the others resorted to holding hands, like children in a playground, in a line across the road.
Eventually, the police relented and allowed a group of nuns to enter the site. It seemed then that we were witnessing a new era in Burma, one where violent repression is no longer an option for the security forces.Eventually, the police relented and allowed a group of nuns to enter the site. It seemed then that we were witnessing a new era in Burma, one where violent repression is no longer an option for the security forces.
Today we saw something of the old Burma, in the rough way the police broke up the farmers' sit-in, using water cannon and something else that seems to have set the protest camps alight.Today we saw something of the old Burma, in the rough way the police broke up the farmers' sit-in, using water cannon and something else that seems to have set the protest camps alight.
The government says it is still committed to a full inquiry into the farmers' complaint, that they were forced to accept the deal with the mining company under which they gave up their land for modest financial compensation and new, but very basic housing.The government says it is still committed to a full inquiry into the farmers' complaint, that they were forced to accept the deal with the mining company under which they gave up their land for modest financial compensation and new, but very basic housing.
Laws on public protests in Burma have been relaxed amid a series of democratic reforms. The Burmese parliament is now asserting itself, and there will surely be aspiring politicians there who will see backing the farmers' grievances against a Chinese- and military-backed mine as a vote-winner. This conflict is not over, and from what I saw and heard from the farmers, they will not give up their struggle easily.
But this week the government gave the protesters an ultimatum to leave the site. "They shot some sort of canisters that caused fire at the camp. We just don't know what sort of weapon it was," Shin Oattama, a Buddhist monk, told Reuters news agency.
Activists said police had arrived at the camp in the early hours of Thursday, as they were sleeping. "We are now seeking refuge at a nearby village. There's no ambulance, no doctor to take care of the injured."
The BBC's Jonathan Head, who recently visited the mine, says this is now being seen as a test case for how Burma's new government will handle growing protests around the country over land grabs that took place under military rule. Of the 22 injured, many are monks, and they are mostly suffering from burns, our correspondent reports.
The Burmese parliament is now asserting itself, and there will surely be aspiring politicians there who will see backing the farmers' grievances against a Chinese- and military-backed mine as a vote-winner, our correspondent says. It is not clear what caused the burns, but it is possible, he says, that it was incompetence, more than ruthlessness, that caused the injuries.
The farmers started their protest in June, saying they were forced to accept a deal two years ago under which they gave up their land in return for new housing and financial compensation. Laws on public protests in Burma have been relaxed amid a series of democratic reforms. But this week the government gave the protesters an ultimatum to leave the site.
Meanwhile, China has defended its joint mining project with Burma.
"The relocation, compensation, environmental protection and other issues involved with this project were jointly settled through negotiations by the Chinese and Myanmar [Burma] sides and meet Myanmar's laws and regulations," Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hong Lei, said during a regular press briefing in Beijing.
"We hope all levels of Myanmar society can provide an environment beneficial to the project's development."
In an editorial published on Thursday, state-run Chinese newspaper Global Times said that halting the project would be a "lose-lose situation" for both countries.
"Only third parties, including some Western forces, will be glad to see this result," it said.
Are you in Burma? Are you taking part in the protests? Send us your experiences using the form below.Are you in Burma? Are you taking part in the protests? Send us your experiences using the form below.
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