• Burmese
Monday, June 16, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
31 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Scrap Myitsone Dam Project, Says Ex-President’s Office Minister

Htet Naing Zaw by Htet Naing Zaw
January 30, 2019
in News
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
Former President’s Office Minister U Soe Thein / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy

Former President’s Office Minister U Soe Thein / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy

5.7k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

NAYPYITAW—Former President’s Office Minister U Soe Thein has expressed support for terminating the controversial Myitsone Dam project, saying it could undermine national unity.

“I don’t accept [a dam] at Myitsone. This is my view. It could negatively affect national unity. Myitsone is a landmark of Kachin State,” U Soe Thein, who is currently a lawmaker in the Upper House, told reporters at the Union Parliament in Naypyitaw on Tuesday.

However, he suggested that a dam could be built somewhere upstream on either of the Mali or the N’Mai rivers, at whose confluence the Irrawaddy River begins. If necessary, compensation could be paid to China for canceling the project in Myitsone, he said.

RelatedPosts

China is Systematically Dismantling Tibetan Monastic Traditions

China is Systematically Dismantling Tibetan Monastic Traditions

June 16, 2025
160
Tree-Planting Hides Logging Frenzy; Moving Mountains for Steel Production; and More

Tree-Planting Hides Logging Frenzy; Moving Mountains for Steel Production; and More

June 14, 2025
383
Is TNLA, Under Chinese Pressure, Conceding Northern Shan Gateway to the Regime?

Is TNLA, Under Chinese Pressure, Conceding Northern Shan Gateway to the Regime?

June 13, 2025
1.1k

“We [former President U Thein Sein’s administration] shelved the project. In my opinion, we shouldn’t build a dam in Myitsone,” he said.

“The political leaders today also opposed the dam during our administration. I don’t know why there is talk now of it being resumed,” U Soe Thein said.

When the National League for Democracy (NLD) was in opposition, its leader, current State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, called on the then government to make the dam contract public.

After the NLD took power in 2016, the government set up a 20-member commission including the chief minister of Kachin to review the project, including its environmental and social impacts. The commission has produced two reports to date, but the government has yet to release either.

Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, vice chairman of the NLD and Mandalay Region chief minister, has publicly said the party stands by the people regarding the Myitsone Dam project.

Another Upper House lawmaker, Dr. Khun Win Thaung from Kachin State, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, “Kachin State has long experience with China. It cannot avoid engaging with China. We have to rely on it one way or another, and the authorities need to be smart when making a decision. If [the government] can’t make a decision, it should try to make [the project] acceptable to the people.”

Union Minister for Investment and Foreign Economic Relations U Thaung Tun told reporters at the Invest Myanmar Summit in Naypyitaw on Tuesday that the government is working hard to come up with a final decision on how to proceed with the dam project.

The minister said the government and a commission studying the project are holding serious discussions and considering all possibilities, including downsizing the dam, relocating it or developing other projects instead.

U Thaung Tun said the government was taking its relations with China into consideration as it decided what to do with the project.

The US$3.6-billion (about 5.4-trillion-kyat) project, shelved by then-President Thein Sein in 2011 amid widespread public concern over the dam’s social and environmental impacts, came under the spotlight again when Chinese Ambassador Hong Liang claimed after a visit to Kachin State at the end of December that the Kachin people were not opposed to its resumption.

The dam project agreement was signed under the military government between former Vice Senior-General Maung Aye and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was vice president at that time.

State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, while meeting locals in Sagaing Region’s Kalay Township on Jan. 22, said no investor would trust Myanmar if a new government abolished projects approved by its predecessor just because they do not comply with its policies.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: ChinaDevelopmentEnvironmentHydropowerInvestmentKachin StateMyitsone DamNLD
Htet Naing Zaw

Htet Naing Zaw

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang
Burma

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang

by Hein Htoo Zan
November 28, 2023
98.3k

Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army troops are opening roads and pathways through forests for people to flee Kokang’s capital as...

Read moreDetails
Drone Attack at Myanmar-China Border Gate Causes Over $14m in Losses
Business

Drone Attack at Myanmar-China Border Gate Causes Over $14m in Losses

by The Irrawaddy
November 27, 2023
38.5k

Jin San Jiao is latest northern Shan State trade hub in crosshairs of ethnic Brotherhood Alliance.

Read moreDetails
Brotherhood Alliance Marching Towards Capital of Myanmar’s Kokang Region
Burma

Brotherhood Alliance Marching Towards Capital of Myanmar’s Kokang Region

by The Irrawaddy
November 25, 2023
31k

Chinese embassy urges citizens to flee Laukkai Town as ethnic armies prepare to drive Myanmar junta troops from Kokang’s capital.

Read moreDetails
General Close to Myanmar Junta Boss Placed Under House Arrest, Interrogated for Corruption
Burma

General Close to Myanmar Junta Boss Placed Under House Arrest, Interrogated for Corruption

by The Irrawaddy
September 14, 2023
28.7k

The arrest of ‘kickback king’ Lt-Gen Moe Myint Tun, once seen as a possible successor to Min Aung Hlaing, comes...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta Arrests Thai Condo Buyers, Realtors as Currency Crashes
Business

Myanmar Junta Arrests Thai Condo Buyers, Realtors as Currency Crashes

by The Irrawaddy
June 4, 2024
27.6k

Monday’s arrests follow reports that Myanmar has become one of Thailand’s most lucrative markets for selling condos since the 2021...

Read moreDetails
China-Backed Illegal Rare Earth Mining Surging in Northern Myanmar
Burma

China-Backed Illegal Rare Earth Mining Surging in Northern Myanmar

by Yan Naing
July 15, 2022
34.7k

A Myanmar military-backed militia in Kachin State is protecting Chinese-run mines that produce coveted rare earth minerals used in hi-tech...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Cardinal Charles Bo in Yangon in December 2018 / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

Myitsone Dam ‘Must Be Stopped’: Cardinal Bo

U Ko Ni speaks to the media at the first 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference in Naypyitaw in 2016. / The Irrawaddy

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Calls for Swift Justice for Slain Lawyer U Ko Ni

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

The Hidden Fallout From China’s Cross-Border Crime Crackdown in Myanmar

The Hidden Fallout From China’s Cross-Border Crime Crackdown in Myanmar

1 week ago
1.6k
How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

5 days ago
1.1k

Most Read

  • Sagaing Protesters Condemn Civilian Govt Toll Charges

    Sagaing Protesters Condemn Civilian Govt Toll Charges

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Untested Commander Takes Charge as Myanmar Military Faces Toughest Challenge in Decades

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Is TNLA, Under Chinese Pressure, Conceding Northern Shan Gateway to the Regime?

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Tourism Sector Mocks Junta’s Russia Tourist Drive

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Sagaing Region Braced for Myanmar Junta Airstrikes After Jet Crash

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.