Myanmar: Chinese takeaway kitchen. Three articles look at China's influence in South East Asia: first; resentment in Myanmar; second, Cambodian rivalries; third, Banyan on the strategic implications. WAIST DEEP in the muddy water, hundreds ofpeople swirl their pans, scouring the black sediment for the sparkle of golddust. They have come from all over Myanmar to Kachin state, where the N'Mai andMali rivers merge to form the mighty Irrawaddy, knowing that a good day mayyield $1,000-worth of gold and that time for gold panning is running out. Across the river, the corrugated iron roofsof a prefabricated barracks glint in the midday sun. They house hundreds ofChinese labourers working on the Myitsone hydropower project. This, accordingto Myanmar'sgovernment, will be the sixth highest dam in the world, and generate 6,000MW ofelectricity a year. On completion in 2019, the dam will flood thegold prospecting area and displace more than 10,000 people. All the electricitywill be exported to China. All the revenue will go to Myanmar'sgovernment. If an environmental and social impact study was conducted at all, it did not involve consulting the affected villagers.
