Thousands protest China-backed mega-dam in northern Myanmar

Thousands of people in northern Myanmar took to the streets on Monday to protest against the proposed reinstatement of a Chinese-backed mega-dam. Demonstrators say the project will cause huge environmental damage and bring little benefit to the country. The protest came just days ahead of a trip by civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to Beijing for a summit on China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Myanmar’s former military junta signed a 2009 deal with Beijing to construct the Myitsone dam in Kachin state. If the 6,000 megawatt dam is built on the famed Ayeyarwaddy River, it will flood an area the size of Singapore, displacing tens of thousands, AFP said.