Protestors nationwide have begun a campaign against the Myitsone Dam, a hugely controversial China-backed project in Kachin State. According to an article in Frontier, U Aung Soe Myint, a leader in the movement, said that the small demonstration on April 1 in Yangon marks the beginning of the nationwide campaign. The movement will include NGOs, political parties and environmental experts from all states and regions. “We have also invited National League for Democracy officials and NLD members of parliament, but I am not sure whether or not they will attend,” he said. The group is expected to form a committee at the meeting, and plan future protests against the project. The project is located on the northern reaches of the Irrawaddy River. The multi-billion-dollar Myitsone Dam was agreed when the country was under military rule. Shortly after coming into office in 2011, then-president U Thein Sein suspended the project for the remainder of his term. The NLD has still not announced whether or not it will proceed. However, China has recently been lobbying for work to re-start.
