Shwe Gas Project Operator Daewoo Must Listen to the Local People’s Voices

Arakan people call for 24 hours of electricity from the Shwe Gas Project in Burma’s Arakan State

Arakanese anger is increasing and actions demanding 24 hours of electricity from the Daewoo- led Shwe Gas project have sparked throughout Arakan cities and rural areas in recent months.  Local campaigns featuring t-shirts, posters, stickers, and calendars bearing the message “24 Hours of Electricity Now; We Have the Right to Use Our Gas,” have sprung up in local cities across the state […]

Irrawaddy Dam Suspended, Shwe Gas Project should be Next

Last Friday, Burma’s President announced the suspension of the Chinese-backed Myitsone dam project on the Irrawaddy River, in response to “the desire of the people.” Following this announcement […]

SOLD OUT: Launch of China Pipeline Project Unleashes Abuse Across Burma

Construction of various project components to extract, process, and export the Shwe gas – as well as oil trans shipments from Africa and the Middle East – is now well underway. Local peoples are losing their land and fishing grounds without finding new job opportunities […]

Chinese and Korean Gas and Oil Projects Linked to Land Confiscations, Violations of Indigenous Rights, Torture, and Corruption in Burma (Myanmar)

Leading multinational companies from China, South Korea, and India have begun construction of massive oil and gas pipelines across Burma that are connected to widespread land confiscation, violations of indigenous rights, cases of arbitrary arrest, detention and torture, and forced labor, according to a new publication released today by EarthRights International (ERI). ERI is calling on the oil companies involved in the pipelines to immediately postpone their operations, and for the Burmese authorities to enact a moratorium on development in the oil, gas, mining, and hydropower sectors until preconditions for responsible investment are in place and the people of Burma can meaningfully participate in development decisions […]

The Burma-China Pipelines: Human Rights Violations, Applicable Law, and Revenue Secrecy

EarthRights International (ERI) today issued a damning report linking major Chinese and Korean companies to widespread land confiscation, and cases of forced labor, arbitrary arrest, detention and torture, and violations of indigenous rights connected to the Shwe natural gas project and oil transport projects in Burma (Myanmar). The publication, The Burma-China Pipelines: Human Rights Violations, Applicable Law, and Revenue Secrecy, draws primarily on two years of clandestine interviews with affected populations from Arakan State, Magway Division, and Mandalay Division, as well as leaked documents that provide new insight into secretive payments between the oil companies and the military regime, controversial security arrangements, and inadequate corporate due diligence […]

China to Operate Oil Wharf in Burma

China’s Qingdao Port has signed an agreement with the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) to build and operate a wharf on Burma’s western coastline from which China will send its crude oil brought from Africa and the Middle East via an inland pipeline to Yunnan Province […]

China’s Energy-security Plan Damages Indigenous Peoples’ Lives in Burma

More Human Rights Abuses and Environmental Destruction at Grave Risk

China’s Prime Minister Wen Jiabao’s visit to Burma has cemented China’s energy security through oil and gas deals and will boost the relationship between the two countries […]

China’s Power Grab

At a time when frequent power outages are disrupting people’s lives and businesses in Burma, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is now in Naypidaw, in all likelihood forging deals to export more energy resources from the country.

We, members of the Shwe Gas Movement, ask a simple question: what benefit will Premier Jiabao’s visit bring to the people of Burma? […]

The UN Singles Out Big Oil in Burma, With Good Reason

By Matthew Smith, Coordinator of the Burma Project, EarthRights International

In a surprising report last month to the UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Rapporteur (UNSR) on human rights Tomás Quintana recommended an official “commission of inquiry” into possible crimes against humanity and war crimes in military-ruled Burma (Myanmar).

Although the call for such a commission was widely covered in media and policy circles, a critical section of the report went completely overlooked and unreported: Quintana actually became the first UNSR to take specific aim at the ruling State Peace and Development Council’s corporate partners, singling out problematic foreign oil companies operating in the country […]

The Shwe Natural Gas Pipeline in Burma: Human Rights Violations Increase as Project Moves Forward

EarthRights International (ERI) has confirmed that serious human rights abuses have increased in connection to the multi-billion dollar Shwe natural gas pipeline project in military-ruled Burma, including recent reports of land confiscation on Maday Island. Compensation for local villagers on the island was reportedly promised by the Burmese authorities and the Asia World Company (whose […]