đź•’ Last updated on August 14, 2025
In regions of Myanmar under the authority of armed rebel groups, rare earth mining has increased dramatically, according to satellite imagery.
Mining boom linked to toxic river pollution
Many of these mines are located near the borders with China and Thailand. Two new mining sites in Thailand and 26 existing mines in the area adjacent to China are depicted in the photos.
Rare earth minerals are vital for making products like wind turbines, electric vehicles, and even advanced weapons. China is the world leader in refining these metals, but a large share of its raw materials now comes from Myanmar.
In these rebel-held areas, mining has expanded quickly over the past few years. Rights groups say this is happening without any environmental checks. Local communities in northern Thailand and eastern Myanmar are now reporting severe pollution in rivers that flow from mining sites.
Thai officials have tested water from the Kok and Sai rivers, both of which start in Myanmar and flow into Thailand before joining the Mekong River. The results showed dangerously high levels of heavy metals such as arsenic and lead. These substances are connected to major health concerns, such as cancer, organ damage, and childhood developmental disorders.
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The pollution has been so severe that authorities in Thailand have warned people not to even touch water from the affected rivers. Farmers are worried because these rivers are used to irrigate rice fields, a crucial food and income source for the region. Villagers have also noticed unusual colors in the water, with the Kok River turning an odd orange-yellow before the rainy season.
Rare earth mining methods causing contamination
Experts say the mining process in Myanmar is a major source of the problem. To extract rare earth minerals, chemicals are pumped into the ground to separate the metals from the rock. This process produces large amounts of contaminated water.
In regulated mining, wastewater is treated to prevent pollution. But in these rebel-controlled areas, there is “zero environmental monitoring.” Wastewater from the mines is often dumped straight back into rivers or allowed to seep into the ground. This can poison not only the river water but also underground water sources used by local communities.
Satellite images have shown large, round pools at many of these mine sites. These are used to collect the mineral-rich liquid before the rare earths are separated. According to rights groups, people have witnessed workers similar to those in mines further north in Kachin State, Myanmar, scraping a white powder from these ponds, which is the raw rare earth substance.
The latest Thai water tests found that the mix of heavy metals in the Kok River closely matches samples taken from rare earth mining areas in Kachin. This suggests the pollution is coming directly from similar mining activities upstream in Shan State, where the new mines have been identified.
These mines are located in territory controlled by the United Wa State Army (UWSA), a powerful rebel group that runs two semi-autonomous zones in Myanmar. The group’s territory is largely off-limits to Myanmar’s military, making it extremely difficult for outsiders to monitor or regulate mining there.
Cross-border environmental impact
The effects of rare earth mining in Myanmar are not limited to the country itself. Rivers that start in Shan State flow into Thailand and eventually into the Mekong River, which is shared by several Southeast Asian nations.
In Thailand’s Chiang Rai province, communities downstream have already been severely impacted. In June, around 1,500 people joined protests calling on both the Thai and Chinese governments to take action. In Myanmar, protesters called for mining companies to cease contaminating their rivers.
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Authorities in Thailand say the contamination likely comes from upstream mining sites, but they have not named specific operators. Environmental groups, however, have been clear in linking the problem to the rare earth mining boom.
For many years, China has been Myanmar’s primary consumer of rare earth materials. In 2023 alone, China imported a record $1.4 billion worth from Myanmar. This trade has grown as China has tightened environmental rules for its own mines, effectively shifting the environmental damage to its neighbor.
While China’s foreign ministry has said that Chinese companies operating abroad must follow local laws, activists argue that this is not happening in Myanmar’s rebel-held regions. Pollution persists because there is no official oversight.
To deal with the crisis, the Thai government has proposed building dams or weirs along the affected rivers in Chiang Rai to filter out pollutants. But environmental experts say this is unlikely to work for a river system as large and complex as the Mekong. Such measures might slow the spread of pollution but cannot stop it entirely.
Researchers stress that the only effective way to protect rivers and communities would be to prevent contaminated water from leaving the mining sites in the first place. However, with the mines located deep inside armed group territory, reaching and regulating them remains a huge challenge.