In Myanmar, a rush for rare earth metals is causing a regional environmental disaster

• Water tests from the Kok and Sai rivers near Thailand’s border with Myanmar have revealed elevated arsenic levels, leading Thai officials to warn citizens to avoid contact with river water.
• The pollution is widely believed to be linked to unregulated mining in Myanmar’s Shan state.
• Extraction of gold in Shan State has surged in the years since the 2021 military coup in Myanmar; more recently, mounting evidence suggests rare earth mining is also expanding across the state.
• Elevated arsenic levels have also been found at testing points in the Mekong, which is fed by both the Kok and Sai rivers.