London based Hkanhpa Sadan is secretary general of the Kachin Development Networking Group. He's regularly in contact with the anti-dam activists in Burma.

The locals, mostly farmers, were forcefully expelled by the army and put in makeshift camps where they can't farm or fish. Not to mention that their lives have been completely destroyed. They're 13 kilometres away from home and two kilometres from an army base. That way the soldiers can keep an eye on them.

Future camps for the displaced, near to Myitkyina, Kachin province capital, January 2010.

The dam won't benefit the locals in any way. It's Chinese people who will come to work there, so no jobs will be created. When you think that the electricity produced will only serve China! And shipping Chinese workers into the region - who don't speak Burmese - will prove a real shock to the two communities.

On top of that, the impact on the environment will be enormous. The Irrawaddy is an important source for the whole region, and this dam will limit its biodiversity.

It also needs to be pointed out that the dam will sit on a fault line. If there should be an earthquake, a massive part of the region would be flooded and the repercussions could reach as far as towns like Mandalay [situated on the banks of the Irrawaddy, central Burma].

All of our cultural heritage is based on this confluence [the meeting of the Mali River and the N'Mai River]. At weddings, elders tell the story of the rivers meeting and becoming one. How will we explain such a thing to younger generations now?

Finally, the construction of the Myitsone Dam concerns our fight for self-autonomy in the province of Kachin. For 15 years now, the Independent Army of Kachin has respected a ceasefire negotiated with the Burmese army, but the conflict still exists. This dam will become a pretext for the junta to reinforce their troops and take further hold of the region."

The height of the dam marked by the "dam crest" sign. January 2010.

Ground-levelling machines of a Birman company, Asia World Co., working for the project. January 2010.

A storehouse built for the dam. January 2010.

Land-assessors study for foundation-laying. 2007.

A workers' camp set up by the construction company.