The KIO is a rather secretive and hierarchical organisation, with a sometimes inflexible chain of command that makes it slow to respond to changing circumstances.
The project abuts territory controlled by the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), one of a plethora of ethnic insurgencies that have battled the central government for decades.
Mariasun is president of the Councils of Tresalia Capital, KIO Networks and Network Abilia Universalia, and a member of the boards of Grupo Financiero Banamex and Tory Burch.
It is just as likely that the military is using the vagueness in his pronouncements to grab as much ground as they can, leaving the KIO in such a weak position it will be forced to negotiate on the government's terms.