From Wikileaks about the copper mine at the center of recent protests in Burma . In the beginning, it was between a Canadian company and the Burmese mining enterprise: Myanmar Ivanhoe Copper Co., Ltd. (MICCL), a 50/50 joint venture between Canadian-owned Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. and state-owned Mining Enterprise-1, began operations in Burma in 1994. Canadians wanted out because of " the GOB's continued interference in operations, refusal to pay Ivanhoe its share of profits, and unreasonable demands for increased taxes " (I have no idea what GOB is; Government of Burma?): Canadian-owned Ivanhoe Copper Co. continues to negotiate with state-owned Mining Enterprise-1 (ME-1) and a consortium of three Chinese companies - WanBo Copper, Norinco Copper, and Aluminum Corporation of China (Chalco) - for the sale of its joint venture company, Myanmar Ivanhoe Copper Co., Ltd. (MICCL). According to MICCL Acting Director Glenn Ford, Ivanhoe plans to sell its share of MICCL to ME-1