During World War II, the Japanese occupying forces operated the mine, but when they lost the war, the British government resumed operations. Tensions rose in 1948-1950, when former Prime Minister U Nu invaded Karenni state and took military control of the Mawchi mines. The British finally left when during 1951-52, local mine workers boycotted the remnants of the British company. Since 1952, the Burmese government continued to operate the mines through joint collaborations with several mining companies. The following decades were characterized by strong tensions with the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP). Several mining engineers were arrested by the KNPP during the 1970s and 80s [1]. Given that “[t]in from Mawchi is the highest quality in the world market” (Mining Minister U Thein Htait, quoted in 1], in August, 2012, the government announced to increase excavation at the Mawchi mines [1]. However, the mining extension requires the relocation of close by villages and people who have been living in the area for generations. 

Local villagers, among them ethnic Paku Karen, began worrying that they would lose even more of their ancestral lands, water and mineral resources [1]. Their livelihoods have been largely based on hillside farming, cardamom cultivation and mining. Despite the mines being economically active for more than a century, the village district saw no improvement in the lives of local people, argued the Women Network in a report on the mines' impact on people and the environment [1, see also 3]. “All the benefits from the mines have been taken away by the authorities and businessmen from elsewhere. The local people are still living in poverty, and have suffered from the environmental impacts of the mines. There has been no improvement in health, education, transportation and economy. At present there is a village tract hospital set up by local people and one government hospital. However, medicine supplies and support for the doctors are ongoing problems.” [1, page 6].

According to the report, the impacts on the environment and on people’s health have been grave and working conditions have been hard [1]. The mines have required much wood for the tunnels, causing deforestation in surrounding areas [1,4]. During heavy rains, run-off from mining dump sites flows into locally used streams, making them unusable. Fish, prawn, crab and turtle species have declined. Drinking water sources have been polluted and locals have reported skin diseases and diarrhea, but no investigations have been made whether this was caused by the mines [1]. Lung diseases and arthritis are common among tin workers [1]. Many women have lost their traditional livelihoods and are also obliged to work in the mines [5], with “no time to care about [their] health” [1, page 12]. While women and man have been equally paid for tin washing, women have received far less for the collection of tin nuggets. Sex work is increasing with the mining expansion [1]. 

Several landslides occurred at the mining site during the last decades that took the life of mine workers [1]. In October 2015, a massive landslide occurred in the Mawchi village tract and buried at least 28 persons. More unregistered migrant workers may have died too. About 500 people were evacuated and many lost their homes and worried whether they would be able to come back [4]. The landslide occurred in the residential area and the company claims the slide was not related to the mine. Locals argued it was a direct result of the mining activities that perforated the ground [4].

The Mawchi mines have become a cause of contention [1,3,5,6]. Women from different civil society groups set up the Molo Women Mining Watch Network (MWMWN) to document the Mawchi mines’ impacts on locals and the environment. In December 2012, they released the report “Lost paradise: Damaging impact of Mawchi tin mines in Burma’s Karenni state” [see 1]. Following the government’s plans to expand mining in the area, MWMWN and the Karenni Civil Society Network (KCSN) called for a halt of further mining permits, which they described in a press release as “a new military offensive to overrun the ethnic areas for economic exploitation and control of natural resources”, fueling armed conflict among ethnic groups [3, see also 5]. The Karenni groups have demanded to stop all new mining permits “until there is constitutional reform granting ethnic states the right to control and manage their own natural resources under a federal system of government, and ensuring local communities the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent to any projects” [3, see also 5]. 

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