Monday, 19 September 2011 18:47 Myo Thein
(Mizzima) – More than 100 Burmese police officers surrounded the Chinese embassy in Rangoon on Monday amid rumors that environmental activists would stage protests against the controversial Myitsone Dam project on the Irrawaddy River.
Since morning, police and several intelligence officers were posted around the embassy on Pyidaungsuyeikthar Road in Dagon Township. Later, journalists gathered near the embassy.
During the afternoon, members of MRTV4, a state-run television station, also appeared at the site, bringing the total number of journalists to about 40.
Nearby, police patrol cars with armed riot police in uniform were posted. About 1 p.m., a number of police were withdrawn from the area.
At around 2 p.m., nearly all of the journalists had left the site, but police and members of military intelligence remained posted around the area.
The Chinese state-own company, China Power Investment Corporation, is leading the dam construction project near the confluence of the Maykha and Malikha rivers that flow into the Irrawaddy River.
The project has drawn widespread criticism from domestic and international environmental groups, who cite a lack of sufficient studies and the dam’s potential to damage the environment.
Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Dr. Myint, an adviser to the President’s Office, have called for a government review of the project.
(Mizzima) – More than 100 Burmese police officers surrounded the Chinese embassy in Rangoon on Monday amid rumors that environmental activists would stage protests against the controversial Myitsone Dam project on the Irrawaddy River.
Since morning, police and several intelligence officers were posted around the embassy on Pyidaungsuyeikthar Road in Dagon Township. Later, journalists gathered near the embassy.
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| Police guards were posted near the Chinese embassy in Dagon Township in Rangoon at around noon on Monday, September 19, 2011. Rumors circulated that the embassy would be the site of demonstrations by environmental activists. Photo: Mizzima |
During the afternoon, members of MRTV4, a state-run television station, also appeared at the site, bringing the total number of journalists to about 40.
Nearby, police patrol cars with armed riot police in uniform were posted. About 1 p.m., a number of police were withdrawn from the area.
At around 2 p.m., nearly all of the journalists had left the site, but police and members of military intelligence remained posted around the area.
The Chinese state-own company, China Power Investment Corporation, is leading the dam construction project near the confluence of the Maykha and Malikha rivers that flow into the Irrawaddy River.
The project has drawn widespread criticism from domestic and international environmental groups, who cite a lack of sufficient studies and the dam’s potential to damage the environment.
Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Dr. Myint, an adviser to the President’s Office, have called for a government review of the project.
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