Thursday, March 14, 2013

Myanmar's Suu Kyi faces flak for backing copper mine...

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was met with rare hostility Thursday by villagers near a controversial Chinese-backed mine that was the scene of a violent crackdown last year.

The Nobel laureate, who is normally venerated around the country, was heckled by villagers enraged by her recommendation that the copper mine continues to operate, despite concerns over its environmental impact and land grabbing.

As she toured several villages Thursday, Suu Kyi faced flak from local residents -- some crying -- for her perceived failure to back their grassroots opposition to the mine, according to AFP reporters at the scene.

"Relations between the villagers and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi are very tense... some villagers even shouted back to her," a monk called Nandasarya told AFP from Tone village after her visit on Thursday afternoon.

"Her report is opposite of people's desire. We believed in her," he said, accusing the democracy champion of being aloof by staying in a car rather than touring their protest camp. Full story...

Related posts:
  1. Myanmar copper mine told to compensate for land grabs...
  2. Land grabs rise in Myanmar’s ethnic Karen areas...
  3. Myanmar villagers fight eviction...
  4. Aung San Suu Kyi facing backlash for silence on Rohingya abuses...
  5. Ethnic cleansing in Myanmar: does Aung San Suu Kyi care about the Rohingyas?

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