Shwe Gas Movement » Campaign Update

BEWG Press Release: Benchmarks for Investment in Energy, Extractive and Land Sectors in Burma

Michael — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 07:32:02 +0000

Burma Environmental Working Group Issues Benchmarks for Investment in Energy, Extractive and Land Sectors in Burma
Today, the Burma Environmental Working Group (BEWG) – an alliance of grassroots-based organizations – has issued its Benchmarks for Investment in Burma’s Energy, Extractive and Land Sectors to serve as a framework for responsible investment in critical sectors in Burma.
The release of the benchmarks comes at a very important time when Western democracies are considering easing or eliminating existing economic sanctions against Burma, and companies and countries are showing renewed interest in investment in Burma despite a high risk investment environment.
Adherence to the benchmarks will increase the likelihood that investment in sectors that have been historically linked with human rights and environmental abuses will benefit the people of Burma and does not undermine effective political, social and environmental progress in this emerging South East Asian country.
“Investment in Burma must support genuine peace and national reform and must follow the will of local communities who have long paid the price for resource-driven investments through forced labor, land confiscation, illegal taxes, loss of life, and other human rights abuses,” said BEWG spokesperson Paul Sein Twa.
The following is a summary of BEWG’s five major benchmarks for investors:
1) Do No Harm: Investment should not exacerbate natural resource and land-based conflict in Burma.
2) Best Practices or No Practices: Investors should respect the widely accepted global standards for environmental and human rights law while following international best practices in human rights, social and environmental impact assessments.
3) Act Transparently and with Principles: Investors should have a zero-tolerance policy on corruption and should uphold full revenue and contract transparency.
4) Support Civil Society not Impunity: Civil society should be free to fulfill its role without threat of repression or abuse.
5) Empower Communities: Community grievances must be fully addressed in existing and proposed investments.
BEWG intends to work with additional stakeholders as space increases for civil society inside Burma to further refine and publicize these benchmarks.

For more information on this topic and BEWG member groups, please see accompanying statement. For more background information, please refer to BEWG’s 2011 report, Burma’s Environment: People, Problems, Policies. More information is also available on BEWG’s website (www.bewg.org).

Download Press release and Statement

Benchmarks-PressRelease (English Version) Download pdf
Benchmarks-PressRelease (Burmese Version) Download pdf
Benchmarks-Statement (English Version) Download pdf
Benchmarks-Statement (Burmese Version) Download pdf

Protesters Demand End of Shwe Gas Pipeline ‎

gloriashwe5764 — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 09:08:31 +0000

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND — Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Chinese consulate on Thursday morning to demand an end to the controversial Shwe Gas pipeline though central Burma.

Activists chanted “no way no Shwe” and “CNPC out of Burma” while campaign leaders delivered an open letter to Burmese President Thein Sein that called for an end to the Beijing-backed project.

In a scene mirrored at the Chinese embassy in Bangkok, representatives from a wide variety of community organizations joined together to highlight human rights abuses associated with the pipeline’s construction from Burma’s western coast to China’s Yunnan Province.

“Resentment of these pipelines is growing day by day. Thein Sein should listen to the will of the people,” said Shwe Gas Movement’s Wong Aung. “Under the current unaccountable structure, gas monies from the project will only feed corruption and not benefit the people.”

“China has been under increased pressure recently and has seen a lot of new challenges, especially with problems with its interests in Africa,” he told The Irrawaddy. “In Burma we need transparency as thousands have been displaced by these projects. The government has discretionary funds to back them so it’s a big problem for the country.”

The open letter expresses serious concerns over human rights abuses as well as the social, economic and environmental impact attributed to the Burmese, Chinese, South Korean and Indian companies involved. Set to come online in 2013, the pipeline will become the country’s largest source of foreign revenue, generating an estimated US $29 billion over 30 years.

However, nearly all Shwe Gas will be exported to generate power in China at the same time as roughly 75 percent of the Burmese population does not receive electricity from the national grid.

Activists from 130 groups put their names to the open letter, which strongly condemned the confiscation of thousands of acres of farmland for the project, and the military offensives against ethnic armies in the pipeline corridor in northern Shan State.

“We are calling for the government to postpone this project until rights are protected and negative impacts are prevented within a sustainable framework for national development,” the letter states.

“Thousands of acres of farm lands have been confiscated in Arakan and Shan states and Magwe and Mandalay divisions to clear the way for the pipeline corridor and related infrastructure. The livelihoods of local fishing families in Arakan State have been destroyed due to development of offshore infrastructure for the project.”

And activists believe the recent suspension of the Chinese-backed Myitsone hydropower dam and Dawei (Tavoy) coal-fired plant projects demonstrates that Naypyidaw is starting to value public opinion.

Garrett Kostin, of The Best Friend charity, joined in the Chiang Mai protest and said that now is the time to put more pressure on the new nominally civilian government.

“There is still a huge impact for the future of Burma as, despite a lot of good changes that have been happening recently, there are still a lot of human rights abuses associated with the taking of natural resources and we see this as the time to push on and see more positive change,” he told The Irrawaddy.

Protesters for the Shwe Gas Movement also handed Chinese consular officials a copy of their report “Sold Out,” which claims the ongoing projects have directly affected 80,000 people displaced along the 800 km (500 mile) pipeline route.

The report says the natural gas, if used domestically, would transform Burma’s failing economy, addressing chronic energy shortages and unaffordable petrol prices that led to uprisings in 2007. The gas will instead be exported and billions of dollars will be swallowed up by a fiscal black hole that omits gas revenues from the national budget.

The construction project incorporating the deep-sea port, gas terminal and oil transfers involves the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) as well as companies from across Asia. Observers believe that the ongoing armed conflict in Kachin State is Naypyidaw’s way of safeguarding the pipeline route.

The Irrawaddy

Protesting for Global Day of Action ,1 March 2012

Michael — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 05:51:23 +0000

Burma (Global Day of Action)

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Public protests took place in Kyauk Phyu and Yangon as part of the 7th Global Day of Action Against the Shwe Gas and Trans-Burma Pipelines Project. Courageous activists and local residents made their opposition to the project known in a loud and public fashion at significant personal risk. T-shirts stating “Our Gas Our Future” and “Stop China-Myanmar Oil & Gas Pipelines” were distributed and generated much interest among people on the street.

Japan (Global Day of Action)

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Bangladesh (Global Day of Action)

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Bangkok, Thailand(Global Day of Action)

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Over 100 people demonstrated at the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok. The crowd chanted slogans calling for a stop to the Shwe Gas and Pipelines Project and for domestic utilization of Burma’s energy resources before exportation. Activists delivered a copy of the Shwe Gas Movement’s open letter to President Thein Sein to embassy staff. A number of media covered the demonstration.

Chiang Mai,Thailand (Global Day of Action)

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In Chiang Mai the large mock-pipeline reading “Stop The Pipelines” grabbed public attention as activists held it up in front of the Chinese Consulate on Chang Lor Road. Approximately 50 people held signs and chanted slogans while organizers spoke to the media. After 30 minutes a copy of the Shwe Gas Movement’s open letter to President Thein Sein was given to a consulate staff member along with a copy of The Shwe Gas Movements recent report Sold Out: launch of China pipeline project unleashes abuse across Burma.

Location of Bangkok & Chiang Mai Global Day of Action Protests

Sam — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 11:54:39 +0000

On the morning of March 1, 2012 The Shwe Gas Movement will be holding two simultaneous protests in Bangkok and Chiang Mai as part of the 7^th Global Day of Action Against the Shwe Gas Project and Trans-Burma Pipelines.

The protest will feature brief speeches and the delivery of an open letter and report to Embassy staff.

Please join these peaceful protests and call on Burma’s new Thein Sein government to postpone the Shwe Gas and Trans-Burma Pipelines Project until the rights of local communities are protected and potential negative impacts prevented within a sustainable framework for national development.

Bangkok Global Day of Action protest

Location: Burmese Embassy,132 Sathorn Nua Road

Time: 10:00 am

Date: 1^st March 2012

Chiang Mai Global Day of Action protest

Location: Chinese Consulate,111 Changlo Road (just west of Chiang Mai Gate)

Time: 10:00 am

Date: 1^st March 2012

Traditional Tug-of-War to Launch Arakan’s Shwe Gas Campaign Stopped by Police

Michael — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:22:47 +0000

The Shwe Gas Campaign that was launched by a group of Arakanese youths in their traditional tug-of-war or “Rahta-Swe-Bwe” held in Sittwe in western Burma’s Arakan State was forcibly stopped by the police, said a leader of the campaign.

Over 100 local youths who were organized by a local campaign group known as the Ray of Arakan or “Rakkha Ahluntan” were said to have participated in competitions of their traditional tug-of war held from 3 to 7 February, between the urban wards in Sittwe wearing the t-shirts that read “Stop the Shwe Gas Project” and “Give 24-hour Electricity in Arakan”.

“We started our campaign wearing the t-shirts on the first day of our traditional game in Sittwe. There were police but they had not disturbed us. But on second day they forcibly stripped the t-shirts off our youths. Some of the youths who did not want to take off their t-shirts had to run away from the game”, said Daw Mar Mar who is one of the leaders of the campaign.

Daw Mar Mar said the “Ratha Swe Bwe” is one of the most popular traditional games in Arakan State and they launched the campaign with the game to raise wider awareness among their own Arakanese people who are being deprived of their rights in their own region.

Ma Khine Khine, another leader of the campaign who is a resident of Shwebrar Ward in Sittwe, also said she was warned by the organizing committee of the game not to launch the campaign using the game.

“Eight of the organizing committee of the game came to my residence on the day before the game started and told me not to launch the campaign with the game as they had signed agreements with the authorities not to do anything affiliated with political activities. We understood that they had difficulties with the authorities, but we had to continue what we had decided to do for the cause of our whole Arakanese people, who have been starving for electricity for development in their homeland”, said Ma Khine Khine.

She said her group had organized a team of youths from her own ward to compete in the game wearing the t-shirts of the campaign, but the committee members of the game and police had not allowed them to compete in the game and confiscated their t-shirts.

She also said she and other leaders of the group have to hide away from their residences, as the authorities are closely watching them after they had launched the campaign.

The group have distributed the pamphlets that urge all Arakanese peoples to demand their rights from the Shwe Gas Project as part of their campaign in the traditional game as well.

A call to end darkness in Burma

gloriashwe5764 — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:57:20 +0000

As the government in Burma, also known as Myanmar, engages in its much-touted reform process, a civil society movement in Burma’s Arakan state is steadily gaining strength. Earlier last week, protesters continued to demonstrate against the ongoing oil and gas exploration in the Shwe fields.
There’s an irony at play in the Southeast Asian country’s Arakan state. While local villagers belonging to indigenous ethnic minority groups scour the forests for firewood every day to cook meals, a multi-million dollar oil and gas exploration project flourishes in their backyards at the Shwe gas fields.
The latest campaign by the Shwe Gas Movement (SGM), an organisation that has been highlighting the environmental and social impacts of the Shwe gas project, comes in response to the Burmese Energy Minister Than Htay’s announcement late last year that most of the extracted gas will be exported to neighbouring China.

24-hour electricity
The Arakanese people have questioned this announcement. “Nearly 80 per cent of the Burmese population lives without electricity. Against this backdrop, it’s irresponsible of the government to announce that they will be exporting most of the gas to China without serving domestic needs,” says Wong Aung of the Shwe Gas Movement.
The latest electricity campaign led by youth activists demands a 24-hour supply of electricity for Arakanese people before resources are exported. “The military government is trying to convince Arakan people that they will benefit from this project through the creation of jobs or a small share of revenue. But demand for 24-hour electricity shows that people are not going to be bought off so cheaply,” Wong Aung added.

Unfavourable
The Shwe gas fields are said to have 7.7 trillion cubic feet of oil worth 40.1 billion US dollars (approximately 30 billion euros). The Burmese government is estimated to gain 24 billion dollars (18 billion euros) from this project. Given the country’s heavy military expenditure, which takes up 40 per cent of its national budget, the consequences of the trade are not likely to benefit Burmese people.
Another questionable undertaking in the region is the 2800-kilometer long Shwe Gas Pipeline. It stretches across the breadth of the country, and is also expected to be operational in 2013. The pipeline, undertaken by China, is meant to transport Burma’s off-shore natural gas reserves on its western coast to southwest China.

Violations
Various groups have pointed out gross human rights and environmental violations. “The pipeline has been laid down by clearing forests, coral reeves, ocean floor etc. There’s surely going to be an environmental impact. Apart from that, people’s land has been taken away from them, and they have been forced into labour,” Wong Aung says.
Despite these reports, companies involved in oil exploration continue digging. Chief among them are South Korea’s Korean Gas Corporation (KOGAS) Ltd and Daewoo International as well as Indian public sector oil companies such as Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC Videsh) and Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL).

Negotiations
Reports emerged in December last year that the government had offered compensation to those whose livelihoods had been affected by the laying of the pipeline in eastern Shan state. The much-opposed Myitsone hydro-electric dam was also called off after continued protests by locals in the Irrawaddy delta.
Both moves are quite in line with the new pro-reform avatar of the Burmese government. Wong Aung thinks negotiations are the best way to move ahead with the Shwe project too: “After the elections, there has been more freedom to express dissent. We have written an open letter to the energy minister as well as the president. There needs to be involvement of the local people to achieve progress.”
Will a government, until recently considered a pariah and eager to please international observers of its new ways, pay heed to its people’s call – especially when billions of dollars are at stake?

RNW News

Thein Sein’s orders for Burma army to halt Kachin offensive are worthless

gloriashwe5764 — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:47:53 +0000

Burma’s armed forces continued today to attack positions held by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Kachin and northern Shan state, this despite claims from President Thein Sein’s government that an order has again been re-issued commanding a halt to the army’s Kachin offensive.

Fighting between government forces and the Kachin resistance was particularly fierce today in an area of northern Shan state slated to be the route of the Burma to China Shwe pipeline project. The KIA’s Battalion 8 endured heavy shelling in three Shan townships that lie in the path of the pipeline, Namtu, Mandong and Kutkai according to sources on the ground. A key Battalion 8 base in Mandong stayed in KIA hands despite a strong push from government forces, which included a continuous three hour long bombardment using heavy mortars, KIA officials said.

Originally the twin oil and gas pipelines that will deliver fuel from Burma’s Arakan coast to the Chinese city of Kunming were supposed to miss most of the KIA controlled territory, however in 2011 the official pipeline route in Shan state was shifted westward making a near 90 degree turn at Hsipaw where the pipeline route now heads north into KIA territory. Previously the pipeline was slated to continue east at Hsipaw and reach Lashio before heading north to Kunming, a route that would have passed through much less of the KIA’s territory.

[B]Peace talks reach without out agreement[/B]
While the fighting continues, discussions in China between the Burmese government officials and representatives of the KIA’s political wing the Kachin Independence Organization ended today without a ceasefire being reached. A brief statement jointly issued by both negotiating teams said that both parties agreed to meet again for further talks however no date was given for when these talks would be held.

[B]Thein Sein’s “worthless” orders[/B]
During the past two months, on December 10 and again last week, Burma’s retired General turned President Thein Sein has twice made public orders that the Burmese army cease its Kachin offensive.

The Burmese army however has continued to wage its aggressive campaign against the KIA and Kachin civilians.

French news service AFP quoted Burma’s minister of immigration and population, Khin Yi that the latest order to halt hostilities “covers the whole country”. Khin Yi, who previously served as national police chief claimed that the reason fighting was still taking place, is because the army was unintentionally coming into contact with the resistance. “Some of the grassroots level units, when on patrolling duty, unexpectedly met each other and exchanged fire. Sometimes, the order (not to attack) did not reach to the grassroots level,” Khin Yi said AFP.

Khin Yi’s claim that conflict is only happening sporadically because of unexpected encounters is in sharp contrast to reports from the frontlines. KIA officials and others with knowledge of the Burmese army say that the heavy artillery fired today in Shan state against the KIA are only used with permission from the army’s central command. It’s abundantly clear that President Thein Sein’s public directives that the offensive stop are effectively worthless statements issued to please the international community.

[B]Burmese army buildup around KIO’s Laiza headquarters continues[/B]
The Kachin News Group has also learned that on Tuesday, one day before peace talks were set to begin in China, the Burmese army moved troops, artillery shells and armored vehicles to an area within firing range of the KIO’s Laiza headquarters. The equipment and troop reinforcements that arrived are now stationed in Ga Ra Yang village less than 30 miles from Laiza, according to eyewitnesses in the area.

On January 15, a convey of 25 trucks containing government troops arrived at a Burmese army base in Dawhpumyang sub-township on the Myitkyina-Manmaw road, about 10 miles from Laiza, said local military observers.

Reached for comment Lah Nan, the KIO’s Deputy General Secretary No.2 based at the groups Laiza headquarters told the Kachin News Group that about 160 Burmese army battalions from around the country are either currently deployed in the Kachin campaign or are on their way to frontlines of Kachin and northern Shan state.

Kachin News

New SGM Press Release: Arakanese take to the streets to demand gas be used for Arakan electricity

gloriashwe5764 — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:12:45 +0000

Shwe Gas Movement responds to Ministry of Energy announcement about allocating gas from Shwe Gas Project to Arakan state and the build up of the 24-hour Electricity Campaign.

Read and download the Press Release here.

Rakhine State to enjoy its natural gas

gloriashwe5764 — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:01:54 +0000

Reported by Wai Yan Phyo Oo Translated and Edited by Aung Khin+MYA

A certain agreements have been made with international organizations to get some quota of natural gas explored from Shwe Natural Gas Project in Rakhine offshore and to be sold to China through Myanmar-China natural gas pipeline, according to a responsible person of Ministry of Energy.Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) of the Ministry of Energy and project shareholders of Daewoo International Corporation of Korea could make this agreement at the end of 2011.

The dealing bond was signed to sell the gas from work site number A-1 and A-3 at the implementing Shwe Natural Gas Exploration Project from Rakhine offshore to China by connecting pipeline passing through Rakhine State, Magwe Regioin, Mandalay Region and Shan State (North).

As par agreement on sharing natural gas produced from the project, it can be used for domestic consumption. According to the preliminary discussion, the gas from main pipeline will be channeled at Yenangyaung Township of Magwe Region and Balin Township of Mandalay Region where the factories are concentrated.
A responsible person of Ministry of Energy said, “A certain amount of natural gas is being extracted at Shwe Project. As the Myanmar-China gas pipeline is still under construction, the gas has not been exported. According to the wish of local residents, our ministry could make the agreement with related firms to obtain the gas for the region.”

Rather than exporting natural gas from two new offshore gas fields in 2013, it will be supplied to domestic use about 160 million cubic feet each day, according to the responsible person.

Natural gas which will be extracted from M-3 Aung Theinkha Project in 2016 will also be sold in the country after upgrading the existing gas pipelines with the master plan.

For more domestic use, existing conventional iron pipes will be substituted with plastic coated steel pipes. This project will be completed within two years with the estimated costs of US$ 126 million and K.17 billion.

Eleven News

SGM Burmese site now available

gloriashwe5764 — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:04:38 +0000

Shwe Gas Movement’s website is now available in Burmese! The site is available by going to the English website and clicking on the “Burmese Version” Link on the top right hand corner or clicking here (http://burmese.shwe.org/).