Burmese protest China-backed dam project

Dozens of protesters in Myanmar are on a 2,400-kilometre march to a northern city to call for the cancellation of a Chinese-backed hydroelectric dam project.
The USD 3.6 billion project along the Irrawaddy river was supposed to export about 90 per cent of the electric power it generated to neighbouring China, but President Thein Sein in 2011 ordered it suspended because of public protests. But now, many worry construction will resume after the 2015 general elections.
Waving banners calling for permanent cancellation of the Myitsone dam, around 60 people gathered early today in a suburb of the country's main city, Yangon. They will walk along the Irrawaddy river, passing through towns and villages to raise awareness about the project.