Two protesters were injured on Monday (6 July) during a protest near the Chinese Consulate in Chiang Mai after police officers blocked them from approaching the Consulate to file a petition calling on China to control Chinese mines in Myanmar that has led to contamination in the Kok River.

Activists from the People's Network to Protect the Kok, Sai, Ruak, and Mekong Rivers originally planned to march to the Consulate to submit their petition. Ahead of the protest, the street in front of the Consulate was blocked off with metal fences, while over 100 police officers were reportedly stationed in the area.

At around 11.00, they began marching along the footpath, carrying banners demanding action on transborder pollution. Some protesters were also wearing masks of Chinese president Xi Jinping. As they approached the Consulate, they were blocked by the police, who tried to seize the banners and pushed at protesters, resulting in injuries. One protester reportedly had a dislocated shoulder, while another had a broken arm. 

The march then stopped in front of the blockade, where they read a statement and hand their petition to the police to be delivered to the Consulate, which was closed.

Chatchai Thammo, one of the protesters, said that the protesters did not expect violence from the police, as they had already notified the Chiang Mai police and the Consulate that they are submitting their petition. The network only wanted Chinese companies to take responsibilities for the mining activities that caused contamination in the Kok River. He noted that they saw the blockade, but did not think that the police would use force to the point of breaking the two protesters’ arms. The protesters has filed a complaint against the police for excessive use of force.

Several civil society organizations have issued statement condemning the police violence. Meanwhile, the Chiang Mai Provincial Police said in a statement that it was following the legal procedure and international crowd control standards.

According to the petition submitted to the Consulate, the network said that the Kok, Sai, Ruak, and Mekong rivers are being contaminated with heavy metals from Chinese-involved mines in Myanmar. It noted that the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok said in three Facebook posts that China is concerned with the issue, that it will not tolerate Chinese companies destroying the environment, and is willing to use the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism to jointly protect the ecosystem, the environment, and water quality in the Mekong River basin.

Contamination in the Mekong basin is affecting the livelihood of millions, said the statement. Farmers are forced to use contaminated water in their fields, while fishermen can no longer make a living as consumers are not willing to eat fish from the contaminated rivers. Meanwhile, the Thai Ministry of Public Health has advised against consuming shrimp, shellfish, and crabs from contaminated rivers, and against eating fish offal due to high levels of heavy metal contamination. The contamination is also destroying the tourism industry for those along the Kok River, while Chiang Rai’s over 120,000 residents are forced to use tap water contaminated with heavy metals.

They call on the Chinese government to:

1. Supervise, investigate, and take action against Chinese companies or investors who cause direct and indirect environmental damage, and cease supporting  activities that cause transboundary pollution;
2. Trace the origin of minerals such as antimony, tungsten, tin, lead, copper, and manganese being imported from Myanmar mines to China via Thailand to determine the impact on the livelihood of Thais and the environment;
3. Meet with communities in the Kok, Sai, Ruak, and Mekong river basins and unveil a clear plan for utilizing the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism to end environmental destruction, restore the rivers, and compensate the people affected by your mining operations;
4. Start conducting joint monitoring visits, along with Thai stakeholders, to all mining operations from Myanmar along the Mekong and its tributaries, from which China sources minerals, to ensure that they are complying with international environmental regulations and to make data from the visits publicly available.