Suu Kyi to head probe into Chinese-backed Myanmar mine

MONYWA, Myanmar (AFP) - Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will lead a probe into a crackdown on a protest against a Chinese-backed copper mine which will also assess the future of the disputed project, the president's office said on Saturday.

The 30-strong non-parliamentary commission will investigate the "social and environmental issues" behind the protests, some of the most serious since a reform-minded government took over last year.

The Nobel laureate sought on Friday to mediate an end to the stand-off at the mine in Monywa, northern Myanmar, which saw scores of villagers and monks injured in the toughest clampdown on demonstrators since President Thein Sein came to power.

The commission will "investigate the truth" of the pre-dawn raid by riot police and assess whether the "copper mining project is being implemented in accord with international norms", a statement on the presidential office website, signed by Thein Sein, said late on Saturday.