Gas from Myanmar – Crisis call
Source: Gas sector
EB Report , published 31/8/2007
By- Khondkar Abdus Saleque
Myanmar is exporting energy to Thailand and is contemplating energy export to China, India and Bangladesh. Yet most of the countries do not have access to power and many basic amenities of life. The economic sanction imposed by United States and EU have impoverished the nation. Now it desires to be a major supplier of oil and gas to energy hungry China and India . Will the effective utilization of its vast energy resource prove to be a salvation for the impoverished country? Despite the country’s political isolation and economic sanctions by western world Myanmar’s offshore natural gas has become hotly sought after commodity as neighbors seek stable, secure sources of cleaner fuel for their fast growing economies. The ruling Junta also knows that today or tomorrow they may have to yield to people’s movement. So they are willing to monetize the resources as soon as possible. They appeared to be in a hurry when we talked to them in a meeting in February 2005.But they could not manage gas export to China or India till now. Very recently Bangladesh has started a project with Myanmar for a direct road link with Myanmar across Naf river. It is also seriously thinking about gas import from Rakhaine province.
