Burmese Shwe Gas Movement urges IOCs not to work with military regime

United News of Bangledesh : 22 July, 2006

Dhaka:  Shwe Gas Movement (SGM), a Burmese organisation, today (Saturday) urged the international oil and gas companies not to work with the military regime in Myanmar.

"We urge all the IOCs to refrain from dealing with the present regime until a democratic government is established in Burma," said Soe Lunn, the head of the Bangladesh chapter of the Shwe Gas Movement, while addressing a press conference here at Jatiya Press Club.

Some expatriate Burmese nationals living in Bangladesh are members of SGM Bangladesh chapter while the organisation has wings in Thailand and India. The military regime does not allow the SGM to operate in Myanmar. The SGM leaders at the press conference alleged that the present military regime in Myanmar is smuggling out the country's gas resources in the name export to neighbouring countries like China, Thailand and India.

The military government earns between US$ 580-824 million per annum from the  gas export and this fund, SGM alleged, is being spent for the development of military while people in Burma are living in a very poor condition. "Most of the people in Burma are very poor and they don't get any access to gas or electricity although the country has huge natural resources," said Soe Lunn. "We have got the largest gas reserve in South Asia which is worth US$ 12-17 billion," he said adding, natural gas is locally called "shwe" which means gold.

He claimed the military regime in Myanmar wants to perpetrate its rule and that is why they are spending money for the development of the military. They do not spend necessary funds for the improvement of education, health or other essential sectors, he added. Professor CR Abrar of Dhaka University and some Bangladeshis of Rakhaine community were also resent at the press conference.