The fight for resources in Myanmar’s deep south
The fight for resources in Myanmar’s deep south
Myanmar Times, 25 May 2016
URL: http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/business/20493-the-fight-for-resources-in-myanmar-s-deep-south.html
Tanintharyi Region, the southern tip of Myanmar, abounds with natural resources and the problems associated with them.
Residents in the isolated region face over-mining by foreign companies, the proposed development of a deep-sea port, an oil refinery and a special economic zone, mechanized farming of rubber and palm oil, an illegal trade in timber, overfishing, migration, and coal-fired power plants.
Tanintharyi is not connected to the national grid – residents and civil society groups have occasionally protested after being forced to pay up to K600 for one unit of electricity, which costs K50 in Yangon.
On average, power in Tanintharyi costs K300 per unit, and will only become cheaper if the national grid is extended. The alternative is to buy gas from Thailand.
Not too far from the refinery, a massive international development is being planned. The Dawei special economic zone will cover 27 square kilometres in its first phase, rising to an eventual 204.5 sq km, according to local activists.
Following the relocation of six villages, nearly K243 billion has been spent on compensating residents for the 12,000 hectares of community land included in the zone, though disputes over the amount of compensation and the quality of the land to which former owners have been relocated rumble on.
“Any kind of investment has to take the effects on the local community carefully into account. With this SEZ, the compensation has not been managed systematically. If you relocate someone, you have to create a livelihood there, or how will they survive?” said Daw Lae Lae Maw, adding that Thai companies had shown a different attitude to the problems raised.
Residents in the isolated region face over-mining by foreign companies, the proposed development of a deep-sea port, an oil refinery and a special economic zone, mechanized farming of rubber and palm oil, an illegal trade in timber, overfishing, migration, and coal-fired power plants.
Tanintharyi is not connected to the national grid – residents and civil society groups have occasionally protested after being forced to pay up to K600 for one unit of electricity, which costs K50 in Yangon.
On average, power in Tanintharyi costs K300 per unit, and will only become cheaper if the national grid is extended. The alternative is to buy gas from Thailand.
Not too far from the refinery, a massive international development is being planned. The Dawei special economic zone will cover 27 square kilometres in its first phase, rising to an eventual 204.5 sq km, according to local activists.
Following the relocation of six villages, nearly K243 billion has been spent on compensating residents for the 12,000 hectares of community land included in the zone, though disputes over the amount of compensation and the quality of the land to which former owners have been relocated rumble on.
“Any kind of investment has to take the effects on the local community carefully into account. With this SEZ, the compensation has not been managed systematically. If you relocate someone, you have to create a livelihood there, or how will they survive?” said Daw Lae Lae Maw, adding that Thai companies had shown a different attitude to the problems raised.