Shwe Gas Movement, Thai/Burma Border Trip, Winter 2007-2008

By Lauren

"No Way, No Shwe"

0r "Keeping the Junta from the Gold"

While a combination of a language barrier and the noisy outdoor setting (cars, music, jingling bells on dogs…) made comprehension tough at times, our meeting with the Shwe Gas Movement was a powerful lesson in what the junta will do for money and the complete disregard it harbors for the people it supposedly serves.

The movement’s representative, aided by a PowerPoint presentation, explained to us the Burmese government’s proposal for a new natural gas pipeline that would run through the Arakan State in Western Burma. The project, currently being negotiated with Indian and South Korean corporations, would yield the single largest source of foreign income for the regime. At the same time that the pipeline supports the military junta, it also imposes great hardship on the people and the environment.

The Shwe Gas Movement details four areas of concern:

1. The Exploitation of the Voiceless – The government has not consulted the people during planning and revenue will go straight to military coffers, by-passing the local population.

2. Human Rights Abuses and Militarization – The project has given the government reason to expand the number of troops in the Arakan region to more than ever before. With the construction of similar projects – the Yadana and Yetagun pipelines – villagers were asked to leave their homes without compensation, agricultural lands were forcibly reallocated to feed the troops, and many locals were conscripted as porters and forced laborers to build military infrastructure and roads. The people of Burma fear this will happen again.

3. Environmental and Cultural Destruction – Proper social and environmental impact assessments have not been carried out, but risks include the destruction of rainforests and endangered species, environmental contamination, and the loss of local fishing industries which are so integral to their economy.

4. The Entrenchment of the Burmese Military Regime – The regime used the Yadana and Yetagun projects as an excuse to extend its control into minority and opposition areas. Likewise, the Shwe project will allow the government to further militarize and exploit the Arakan and Chin state.

The Shwe Gas Movement, a grassroots organization begun in 2002, secretly collects and distributes information inside Burma, conducts seminars and conferences internationally, and promotes international days of action to hopefully prevent these catastrophes from taking place.

“Shwe” is the Burmese word meaning gold, referring to the SPDC’s hopes of glorious profits. The tremendous human price, however, pales in comparison with the regime’s greed and it must be stopped. Our group feels strongly that we must help them in their mission and we encourage you to do the same.

Action Steps:

• Endorse their position paper and sign their petition.
• Join in the Global Days of Action.
• Research firms (and their insurance companies) that are investing and pressure them to stop.
• Raise awareness.
• For more information, please go to http://www.shwe.org/.