A greasy business

Re: “Drilling for a dream in Myanmar”, (Spectrum, May 28).

The article illustrates sharply the horror and degradation of humans and environment associated with the sick collective addiction to oil. The pictures show workers with no protective gear handling the toxic material, workers transferring oil with no spill or containment equipment and oil residue everywhere, and a family living in this toxic situation blithely eating with their child while residing in the featured oil field of pollution.

None of the information I associated with these pictures is mentioned or addressed in the article. The only emphasis is on the amount of money to be made by selling this “black gold” and positioning this fetish for financial opportunism as a “dream” and something to be lauded and praised.

Where is journalistic integrity concerning actions such as these where the environment and people are harmed for the sake of a few dollars? Though the article focuses on the money made from destructively gathering a barrel of oil for US$50 (1,700 baht) — it fails to mention the cost of cleaning up the environment from the spillage and the future illness associated with exposure to known carcinogens!

The toll on nature and the people will far exceed the $50 pittance the prospectors are getting for raping the land. So how can it be a “dream” if it actually costs more than it earns upfront? Then the line about packing up and moving on with their dreams means the nightmare will be spread.

Nothing is mentioned about cleaning up before moving on, because they will not act responsibly. There is no reason for journal- ism to support and condone this type of behaviour. Whether you believe in global warming or not, you cannot deny the effects of global pollution! It is time we had a better narrative and tell stories that empower rather than destroy humanity. DARIUS HOBER