Namtu
Encyclopedia
Namtu is a town
in northern Shan State
, Burma. Famous for its Bawdwin and Namtu silver
mines, it is situated on the Nam Tu River
, and is connected to Lashio
by rail
.
, and one of the world's largest sources of silver before the Second World War. Before the British
arrived in the 1880s, the Saopha
of Tawngpeng
controlled the mines at Namtu, although the mining
work was undertaken not by the Palaung but by the Chinese
from Yunnan Province across the border. The mines fell into disuse when the lode
was followed to the ground water level. They were revived by the British and the largest mines were operated by the Burma Corporation at the beginning of the 20th century. Today the Namtu mines are under state control, known as No 1 Mining Enterprise and run by the Ministry of Mines.
Lead, zinc
and nickel
are also produced by the mines. Zinc was bought mainly by Japan
, and the other minerals sent to Namtu for smelting
before being marketed abroad.
In February 1998, 3,000 workers went on strike for better working conditions and increase in wages for underground miners.
A Chinese
company won the contract in 2002 for the construction of a zinc oxide
plant at Namtu, processing 50,000 tonnes of zinc slag
annually and the zinc oxide to be exported to a smelter in Yunnan.
(SSA-North)'s Third Brigade has been active in Mongmit, Kyaukme, Hsipaw, Namtu and Lashio. It reached a cease-fire agreement with the Burmese military government (SLORC) in 1989, and its activities have been severely curtailed. The Palaung State Liberation Organization, also active in the region and another one of the cease-fire groups, announced a ban on the cultivation of the opium poppy
in the area under their control. They had alleged that the Burmese military was levying a tax
on the poppy farmers.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in northern Shan State
Shan State
Shan State is a state of Burma . Shan State borders China to the north, Laos to the east, and Thailand to the south, and five administrative divisions of Burma in the west. Largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area, Shan State covers 155,800 km², almost a quarter of the total...
, Burma. Famous for its Bawdwin and Namtu silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
mines, it is situated on the Nam Tu River
Myitnge River
Myitnge River in Myanmar . The name Myitnge in Burmese and Dokhtawaddy in Pali both mean "little river" in comparison with the Ayeyarwady or "big river".-Source, course and outflow:...
, and is connected to Lashio
Lashio
Lashio is the largest town in northern Shan State, Myanmar, about northeast of Mandalay. It is situated on a low mountain spur overlooking the valley of the Nam Yao river. The population grew from around 5000 in 1960 to 88,590 in 1983. It is currently estimated at around 130,000.Lashio is the...
by rail
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
.
History
The Namtu Bawdwin Mines were the world's largest source of leadLead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
, and one of the world's largest sources of silver before the Second World War. Before the British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
arrived in the 1880s, the Saopha
Saopha
Saopha, Chaofa, or Sawbwa was a royal title used by the rulers of the Shan States of Myanmar . The word means "king" in the Shan and Tai languages...
of Tawngpeng
Tawngpeng
Tawngpeng is a district in Burma and was a Palaung state in the Northern Shan States prior to the de-recognition of independent Shan States by the military government of Burma in 1962. The capital of Tawngpeng is at Namshan.Tawngpeng is a center for tea production in the Shan States.....
controlled the mines at Namtu, although the mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
work was undertaken not by the Palaung but by the Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
from Yunnan Province across the border. The mines fell into disuse when the lode
Lode
In geology, a lode is a deposit of metalliferous ore that fills or is embedded in a fissure in a rock formation or a vein of ore that is deposited or embedded between layers of rock....
was followed to the ground water level. They were revived by the British and the largest mines were operated by the Burma Corporation at the beginning of the 20th century. Today the Namtu mines are under state control, known as No 1 Mining Enterprise and run by the Ministry of Mines.
Lead, zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
and nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
are also produced by the mines. Zinc was bought mainly by Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and the other minerals sent to Namtu for smelting
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
before being marketed abroad.
In February 1998, 3,000 workers went on strike for better working conditions and increase in wages for underground miners.
A Chinese
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
company won the contract in 2002 for the construction of a zinc oxide
Zinc oxide
Zinc oxide is an inorganic compound with the formula ZnO. It is a white powder that is insoluble in water. The powder is widely used as an additive into numerous materials and products including plastics, ceramics, glass, cement, rubber , lubricants, paints, ointments, adhesives, sealants,...
plant at Namtu, processing 50,000 tonnes of zinc slag
Slag
Slag is a partially vitreous by-product of smelting ore to separate the metal fraction from the unwanted fraction. It can usually be considered to be a mixture of metal oxides and silicon dioxide. However, slags can contain metal sulfides and metal atoms in the elemental form...
annually and the zinc oxide to be exported to a smelter in Yunnan.
Politics
The Shan State ArmyShan State Army
The Shan State Army, or SSA, was an army formed in 1964 to resist the military government of Burma in Shan State.It later split into two factions, usually known in English as the Shan State Army - South or SSA-S, which continues to oppose the government, and the Shan State Army - North or SSA-N,...
(SSA-North)'s Third Brigade has been active in Mongmit, Kyaukme, Hsipaw, Namtu and Lashio. It reached a cease-fire agreement with the Burmese military government (SLORC) in 1989, and its activities have been severely curtailed. The Palaung State Liberation Organization, also active in the region and another one of the cease-fire groups, announced a ban on the cultivation of the opium poppy
Opium poppy
Opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the species of plant from which opium and poppy seeds are extracted. Opium is the source of many opiates, including morphine , thebaine, codeine, papaverine, and noscapine...
in the area under their control. They had alleged that the Burmese military was levying a tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
on the poppy farmers.
External links
- Satellite map WikimapiaWikimapiaWikiMapia is a privately owned, online map and satellite imaging resource that combines Google Maps with a wiki system, allowing users to add information, in the form of a note, to any location on Earth. Users may currently use this information for free...
- Shan State map: 8= Namtu Asterism
- Location Map of Namtu Bawdwin Mine