Opposition to Alpha Cement project grows

Some 200 residents of Aung Tha Pay village in Myanmar plan to march on the capital of Nay Pyi Taw to protect against Alpha Cement's construction of a new coal-fired cement plant.

The Myint Investment Company won government approval for the Alpha Cement project in June 2015, but local residents did not know about the plans until the groundbreaking ceremony in July 2017, said U Ye Min Oo, the MP for Patheingyi township.

Myint Investment was granted 617 acres of land for the project in Taung Kan village, Madaya township, for a 25-year period, from 2015-40, but the site is close to the Aung Tha Pay village that opposes the development. In April, local residents blocked the road to stop company trucks and heavy equipment reaching the project site.

Colonel Kyaw Kyaw Min, Mandalay Security and Border Affairs Minister said: "There are losses due to suspension of the project. We will ensure the project continues."