"Locals in Mong Khok, eastern Shan State have demanded that a coal mining project in the area be stopped, citing negative impacts on some 2,000 people and the environment. According to ethnic Shan environmental organization Shan Sapawa, Mong Khok residents organized a prayer service at Hsai Mong pagoda on Tuesday. Sai Khur Hseng, a spokesperson for Shan Sapawa, said that if the coal extraction project is implemented, the population of six villages stands to suffer. “It will impact their livelihoods. Their houses will be damaged. There will be deforestation in the area,” he told NMG. “If the project is implemented, chemical waste will be left in the area. These are toxic substances. Therefore, local people organized a prayer service and called for a halt to this coal extraction project.” Action for Shan State Rivers released a statement this week saying that more than 2,500 Shan, Lahu and Akha people in Mong Khok stand to be displaced by the effects of coal mining on the area. Tuesday’s prayer service was to “protect [locals] from danger,” and for coal to be left in its place. “If coal is extracted, this will destroy our farmland and the water in the river,” the network wrote in the statement, quoting a local opposed to the project..."