Gas consortium responsible for rights abuses in Burma: report

Mungpi
Mizzima News: 12July, 2066

Burmese activists on Wednesday accused Korean and Indian companies of indirectly abusing the rights of Burmese people by investing in an offshore gas project in Burma's western state of Arakan.

The Shwe Gas Movement, a group of Burmese campaigners in Thailand, India and Bangladesh, said a consortium of countries led by Daewoo international was indirectly responsible for human rights violations committed by the Burmese military.

In a report titled ‘Supply and Command’ released yesterday, the group said that the military, which has taken charge of protecting the oil exploration, is deploying soldiers and building new army bases along the pipeline route that will transport gas to other countries including India and China.

Kim, the coordinator of the Shwe Gas movement in India, told Mizzima the military had used forced labour to build 15 new army bases along the proposed route in Arakan and Chin states.

“The Arakan and Chin people have already been suffering from human rights violations and if the project is implemented, the situation will go from bad to worse,” said Kim.

Once extracted, the gas is likely to pass through Chin State in western Burma and India's northeastern states of Manipur and Tripura. Kim said land confiscations, rights violations and forced labour had already been reported in these areas.

The Shwe Gas Movement’s report said the military was likely to earn between US $580 million to $824 million a year for 30 years under the gas contract.

Previous gas earnings have been directly linked with weapons purchases and have allowed the regime to maintain its iron grip on Burma, the group said.

“The hopes of many people in Burma for democratic change will be dealt a serious blow by the Shwe gas project if it goes ahead,” said Wong Aung, coordinator of the Shwe Gas Movement in Thailand.

Despite the calls from activists and campaigners Daewoo said the consortium would not withdraw its investment from Burma.

“Our position is that it’s not the right time to discuss a human rights abuse issue because we are still at a stage of exploring the gas field and have yet to begin development,” Reuters cited a Daewoo official as saying in Seoul.

South Korea's Daewoo International holds a 60 percent stake in the A1 gas block with the Korea Gas Corporation holding 10 percent and the Gas Authority of India and the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation jointly holding the remaining 30 percent.