A protest against the regime’s attempt to resume the suspended Myitsone hydropower dam project and its 2025-26 elections was staged by residents in Hpakant Township, Kachin State, on Wednesday.
“Listen to the people’s will, cancel the Myitsone project,” one placard read. “No vote for the sham elections,” read another. Hpakant is located 94-158 miles (151-254 km) west and northwest of the Kachin State capital Myitkyina and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) headquarters of Laiza.
The regime in Naypyidaw is attempting to resume the suspended Myitsone dam project following the end of its elections on Jan. 26, likely due to “pressure from China,” according to the KIA.
“The Chinese government always prioritizes its own interests,” Naw Bu, the KIA spokesperson, told DVB. He added that residents of Kachin State are the most important factor in deciding the project’s future, not the regime.
The KIA told DVB that it will not be hosting the regime elections – with voting dates on Dec. 28, Jan. 11 and Jan. 25, 2026 – in territory under its control, nor will it recognize the results. It has seized full control of four out of Kachin State’s 18 townships since it launched an offensive on March 7, 2024.
The Myitsone hydropower dam would be located at the confluence of Maykha and Malikha rivers on the upper Irrawaddy River in Kachin State. The China-backed project was first outlined in 2009 but suspended in 2011 by President Thein Sein due to public opposition over earthquake risks as it is located 16 miles (25.4 km) northeast of the Sagaing Fault.
Regime media reported that the National Defence and Security Council (NDSC) stated that individuals or organizations opposing “government-approved” projects without firm evidence would be prosecuted under existing laws on Dec. 16.
The NDSC formed a 13-member Committee for the Myitsone, or the rivers’ confluence, and Upper Irrawaddy Hydropower Project on Aug. 29. It announced that the committee would work in cooperation with the State Power Investment Corporation Yunnan International Power Investment of China’s Yunnan Province.
Regime media reported that the project includes six sites along the Maykha and Malikha rivers in Kachin State with a total capacity of 19,099 megawatts with 6,000 megawatts generated from the Myitsone dam.
Nay Phone Latt, the National Unity Government (NUG) spokesperson, told DVB that the Myitsone hydropower dam will cause “significant damage” to the environment and the Irrawaddy River. He added that the regime is threatening people with prosecution to silence residents opposing the project.
BBC Burmese reported that Naypyidaw and Beijing have signed a memorandum of understanding to resume the Myitsone hydropower dam project after the regime elections conclude on Jan. 26, 2026.
Brian Eyler, director of the Stimson Center Southeast Asia Program and the Energy, Water, and Sustainability Program, told DVB that the social impacts of the dam will still threaten livelihoods along the river even if the regime finds a new “environmentally friendly” dam design.
Regime media reported that Soe Win said the Myitsone hydropower dam project’s calculations, previously based on a magnitude-7.1 earthquake, would be revised due to its location near the Sagaing Fault.
He added that the dam would be a Concrete Face Rockfill Dam, which is an embankment dam built of rockfill with an upstream concrete face that prevents water seepage.
The 7.7 magnitude earthquake on March 28 killed at least 4,477 people nationwide, according to DVB data. Experts stated that the quake occurred along the Sagaing fault zone.
The regime added that experts from the Asia Charter Professional Engineer (ACPE) recommended designing the dam to withstand even stronger earthquakes but didn’t disclose any further details.
