Unregulated heavy rare earth mining in war-torn Myanmar is poisoning the Kok River in Thailand. Hannah Beech, a New York Times reporter based in Bangkok, spoke to locals about the negative effects.

In the chaos of war, there’s nothing to stop Chinese firms from ravaging the landscape and extracting the minerals, which end up in China.

© Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times

Unregulated activity led by Chinese enterprises in conflict-ravaged Myanmar is creating an environmental calamity in neighboring Thailand.