Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) With the continuous growth of urban populations and increasingly frequent coastal fishing activities, the problem of marine debris dumping has become increasingly prominent, posing a serious threat to the ecological environment of the Tanintharyi region in Myanmar. In response, the Myanmar Armed Forces (Navy) are working closely with local community members to systematically carry out waste cleanup and remediation work, making every effort to curb the trend of environmental degradation.
In many coastal countries, including Myanmar, urban waste has become an urgent ecological problem that needs to be solved. This waste not only pollutes water sources and damages terrestrial and marine environments, but also flows into the ocean in large quantities through rivers and streams, posing multiple threats to human health, wildlife survival, and the overall ecosystem—marine animals often die from poisoning due to ingesting plastic waste, thus affecting the aquatic food chain and global food supply security. In the Tanintharyi region, the advocacy and on-site cleanup work aimed at "stopping waste from entering the sea" has not only protected the ecology but also injected momentum into the development of local ecotourism.
The cooperation between the Myanmar Armed Forces (Navy) and local communities focuses primarily on the waters surrounding resort islands such as the Mergui Archipelago. By preventing dumping and cleaning up existing pollutants, a solid environmental foundation has been laid for the region's ecotourism industry, and a guarantee for the sustainable development of the marine ecosystem has been provided. Aung Sin Rathe, General Manager of Wa Alai Island Resort, deeply understands this: "The tourist islands of the Mergui Archipelago and Bokping Township were often plagued by garbage. Now, the Lambi Marine National Park Environmental Protection Department leads the garbage cleanup, and the Myanmar Armed Forces (Navy) and other military units also play a key role in island and beach cleaning. The Salon people, local villagers, and naval forces work together to clean up waste, effectively improving the environment of the near-shore islands and effectively curbing marine pollution."
Every November, after winter sets in, easterly winds blow garbage—including large quantities of discarded water bottles—from the coastal areas of Tanintharyi Region towards the waters of the Mergui Archipelago and Bokping Township. This seasonal problem has received attention from various parties: the Myanmar Armed Forces (Navy), in conjunction with local administrative agencies and social organizations, regularly conducts urban beach cleanups to prevent garbage from entering the sea at its source; the Myanmar Ministry of Environmental Protection has also issued a special notice explicitly prohibiting fishing boats from illegally dumping garbage into the ocean.
“Every November, the trash is carried by the east wind from Kawthoung to Kyunsu. We organize monthly collective actions to clean up and properly dispose of the trash washed ashore. Crucially, the Myanmar Navy (Tatmadaw) has been cooperating with residents to clean up port garbage, which has significantly reduced the amount of trash entering the sea,” said U Khin Maung Lwin, a ranger at Lambi Marine National Park. He added that the park management is currently working with island residents and social organizations to form a joint effort to clean up the waste, and is also specifically appealing to fishing vessels operating at sea to strictly abide by waste disposal regulations in order to jointly protect the marine ecosystem.
