China’s RM42b project in Myanmar sparks local ire
KYAUK PYU (Myanmar): Days before the first supertanker carrying 140,000 tonnes of Chinabound crude oil arrived in a port here, local officials confiscated Nyein Aye’s fishing nets.
The fisherman was among hundreds banned from fishing in a stretch of water near the entry point for a pipeline that pumps oil 770km across Myanmar to southwest China and forms a crucial part of Beijing’s Belt and Road project to deepen its economic links with Asia and beyond.
“How can we make a living if we’re not allowed to catch fish?” said Nyein Aye, 36, who bought a bigger boat four months ago.
He said his income had dropped by two-thirds due to a decreased catch resulting from restrictions on when and where he could fish.
Last month, he joined a protest demanding compensation from pipeline operator Petrochina.
The pipeline is part of the nearly US$10 billion (RM42.6 billion) Kyauk Pyu Special Economic Zone (KPSEZ), a scheme at the heart of Myanmar-China relations and whose success is crucial for leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Embattled Suu Kyi needs a big economic win to stem criticism that her first year in office has seen little progress on reform.
China’s support is also key to stabilising their shared border, where a spike in fighting with ethnic armed groups threatens the peace process Suu Kyi said was her top priority.
China’s state-run Citic Group, the main developer of KPSEZ, said it would create 100,000 jobs in Rakhine State, one of Myanmar’s poorest regions.
But, locals said the project was being rushed through without consultation or regard for their way of life.
Suspicion of China runs deep in Myanmar, and public hostility due to environmental and other concerns has delayed or derailed Chinese mega-projects in the country in the past.
China said the development was based on “win-win” cooperation between the two countries.
Internal planning documents and interviews with officials showed work on contracts and land acquisition had already begun before the completion of studies on the impact on local people and the environment, which legal experts said could breach development laws.
A tally based on internal planning documents and census data suggested 20,000 villagers, most of whom depend on agriculture and fishing, were at risk of being relocated to make way for the project. Reuters