"Kachin villagers displaced by the construction of the suspended Myitsone Dam have called on the government to permanently halt the China-backed project. Bernadette Ja Hkawng was forced to make way for the megaproject and leave her Tangphre village and relocate elsewhere in 2010. She was one of at least 3,000 people relocated from their ancestral homes for the dam’s construction. Following protests and widespread environmental concerns, the military-backed government of President Thein Sein suspended dam construction in September 2011. Ja Hkawng told ucanews.com that she is now fearful the controversial project will be restarted due to Chinese pressure on the government. Ja Hkawng, a Catholic, said she was concerned by a recent Chinese embassy statement that said local people are not against the project built on the Irrawaddy River. She said the Chinese were ignoring the cultural and environmental concerns of the people in Kachin State. “The Irrawaddy River is the main river in the country and it is like a main blood lifeline, so all people across Myanmar have a duty to protect it,” Ja Hkawng said..."