Mizzima News

Chiang Mai - An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 on the Richter scale hit the Sino-Burma border of Laiza on Wednesday morning, local residents and United States Geological Survey said.

The quake occurred at around 4 a.m. on Wednesday on the Sino-Burma border, about 65 kilometres southeast of Myitkyina and 225 kilometres west of Dali of Yunnan province in China, the USGS said.

"There was an earthquake at about 4 a.m. but it was only for seconds. So far there is no report of any casualties," Aung Wa, chairman of the Kachin Development Network Group, who is presently in Laiza area told Mizzima.

Though the quake did not cause much damage in the town, he, however, said frequent earthquakes could be dangerous for mega hydro-projects, which the Burmese regime is planning in the area.

According to him, Burma's military junta in collaboration with Chinese companies is building multiple dams including a mega dam on the Myitkyina River confluence -- the Chiphoi dam, and a dam on Ta Peng River.

"We fear that the quakes might cause damage to the dams. If there are frequent quakes there is a danger that the dams might collapse. We are afraid of the consequences of the quakes," Aung Wa told Mizzima.

There were earthquakes in March, April and May 2008, he said.

"The quake this time is bigger then earlier and is much stronger," Aung Wa added.