Nearly one year ago, the Stimson Center’s Southeast Asia team launched a public dashboard documenting more than 2,000 instances of unregulated mining along rivers in mainland Southeast Asia. Since then, our work, alongside that of partners working tirelessly across the region, has identified mining pollution on new rivers in Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia; helped mobilize tens of millions of dollars in support from donor governments; and begun to map networks of illicit actors driving the mining boom. Civil society groups in northern Thailand continue to lead the way in exposing the health, community, and environmental toll of the transboundary impacts of mining in Myanmar, and their calls are now gaining traction with Thai parliamentarians.
Yet awareness has not yet translated into meaningful action. So far in 2026, more than thirty new Chinese-operated rare earth mines have begun operating in Myanmar’s borderlands and in Laos, and Laos has lifted its moratorium on mining despite mounting public concern. Rivers continue to be poisoned, downstream communities face growing risks to their health and livelihoods, and governments have yet to take meaningful steps to stop the damage.
Join us for a conversation with leading voices from frontline advocacy, research, and human rights documentation as we take stock of what we now know, examine why the mining continues unchecked, and explore how sustained and amplified efforts can be turned into lasting action for the communities and rivers at risk.
Featured In-Person Speakers
Pianporn (Pai) Deetes, Executive Director, Rivers and Rights
Pianporn (Pai) Deetes is the Executive Director of Rivers and Rights and serves in a volunteer leadership role with the Hill Area and Community Development Foundation (HADF). She has more than two decades of experience in river protection and Indigenous and community rights across mainland Southeast Asia. Based in the Golden Triangle — where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet — she works alongside communities affected by hydropower development, mining for gold, rare earth elements (REEs) and other critical minerals, and transboundary river contamination that also affects her home region. Her work brings community knowledge and voices into international discussions by calling for justice, accountability, and shared responsibility across borders.
Kevin Woods, Research Associate, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok
Dr. Kevin Woods, a Research Associate at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, has over two decades of experience in Myanmar’s borderlands working on the politics of land and natural resources in armed conflict. He conducts research collaboratively with ethnic civil society organizations and ethnic armed organizations’ land and forest departments, and has published widely in academic journals, policy reports, and the media. His second book, The Fifth Cut: War and the Remaking of Nature in Myanmar, will be published by Yale University Press.
Regan Kwan, Research Associate, Southeast Asia Program, Stimson Center
Regan Kwan is a research analyst for the Stimson Center’s Southeast Asia Program. He leads the program’s work on critical minerals development and responsible mining in mainland Southeast Asia, including an online dashboard tracking thousands of mines across over 50 river systems. His work on mining includes convening multistakeholder workshops and trainings, regional and transboundary mining governance, and developing and implementing non-traditional data collection and research methods.
Brian Eyler, Senior Fellow & Director, Southeast Asia and Energy, Water, & Sustainability Programs, Stimson Center (Moderator)
Brian Eyler directs the Southeast Asia Program and the Energy, Water, and Sustainability Program at the Stimson Center. He is an expert on transboundary issues in the Mekong region and specializes in China’s economic cooperation with Southeast Asia. He is widely recognized as a leading voice on environmental, energy, and water security issues in the Mekong.
