Blood Copper
| Blood Copper | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jude Foster |
| Produced by | Democratic Voice of Burma Myanmar Witness |
Release date |
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Blood Copper is a 2025 documentary film about the Letpadaung Copper Mine in Myanmar, including the relationship between the Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings (UMEHL), a Burmese military conglomerate, and Wanbao Mining, a subsidiary of Norinco, a Chinese state-owned company operating the mine.[1]
The film uses open-source intelligence (OSINT) analysis to document Burmese military operations against nearby villages to allow the mine to expand.[1] The documentary was screened as part of the 2025 Peacock Film Festival and co-produced by Democratic Voice of Burma and Myanmar Witness.[2]
Release
[edit]In July 2026, Pravit Rojanaphruk wrote in Khaosod that a source confirmed that the Embassy of China in Bangkok asked Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to stop a showing of Blood Copper held by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT) on 15 June 2026.[3] In an X post, Pravit wrote that "this is a clear attempt by China to interfere in the work of the Thai media."[3]
The attempt failed, and the screening occurred as planned with a panel following the screening featuring experts on transnational organized crime, including Blood Copper director Jude Foster, founder and coordinator of Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma, Debbie Stothard, and Senior Expert at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, Jason Tower.[4][3][5]
Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights and Labor Advocates (AHRLA) and a board member of the FCCT, wrote that the Chinese Embassy's actions were an "accelerating campaign of transnational censorship and repression" against Thai sovereignty, adding, "Over the past several weeks, we’ve seen the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok blatantly act to undermine media freedom in Thailand by seeking to censor this FCCT program, and then later by making menacing calls to media outlets."[6]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Blood Copper – Investigating Abuses in a Massive Mining Project in Myanmar". Ticket Melon. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ Docs, DVB Short. "Peacock Film Contest". peacock.dvb.no. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 Rojanaphruk, Pravit; Writer, Senior Staff (16 July 2026). "China's Growing Influence Calls for a Measured Thai Response". Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ FCCT (3 July 2026). 2026.06.15 FCCT Blood Copper – Investigating Abuses in a Massive Mining Project in Myanmar. Retrieved 16 July 2026 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Blood Copper – Investigating Abuses in a Massive Mining Project in Myanmar | FCCT". www.fccthai.com. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
- ↑ "Thailand rejects Chinese request to ban Myanmar mining documentary". DVB. 17 July 2026. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
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