Are Chinese-Linked Mines Polluting Thailand’s Rivers? (opens in new tab)

In late 2025, images of deformed fish caught in Thailand’s rivers made headlines around the world\. The strange lesions on the fish have been linked to rare earth mines upstream\. Driven by soaring global demand for rare earths, mining operations in Myanmar are sending toxic metals into tributaries of the Mekong River, contaminating waterways that millions depend on\. War-torn Myanmar, where regulatory oversight is weak, has created the conditions for such mines to proliferate — unchecked and...