"Chinese nationals are reportedly planning to extract gold from Peophru Island in the Laymro River in Mrauk-U Township in western Burma?s Arakan State, under the guise of constructing a hydropower project on the island. Local youth from the regional capital Sittwe, who recently returned from the island after studying the proposed hydropower project, said the equipment that is being brought in by the Chinese to the island are those used for gold mining. ?There is widespread news in our region that a Chinese company will construct a hydropower plant on Poephru Island, but what the Chinese have now brought to the island are the machinery, plastic pipes, and baskets that are used in extracting and panning for gold. That equipment suggests that the Chinese are preparing to find gold on the island and will not be constructing the hydropower plant,” said the youth on condition of anonymity..."