Saturday, October 18, 2014

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

Everyone will benefit from Myeik power plant, says Burmese developer

Posted: 18 Oct 2014 04:48 AM PDT

The Burmese government and companies based in Burma, Japan and Thailand signed a MoU on 9 October to conduct a feasibility study and an environmental and social impact assessment (EIA/SIA) for a US$3.5 billion coal-fired power plant which the consortium is planning to build in Tenasserim Division's Myeik City.

In January, locals held a demonstration against the project, which they say was planned without any input from residents or civil society organizations. Protesters expressed concern that the plant would damage the environment and threaten the farming and fishing activities they depend on for survival.

DVB’s Aye Nai recently interviewed Ye Min Aung, managing director of an entity owned by the Ayar Hinthar Group, the Burmese company involved in the Myeik power plant consortium.

Q: The amount of electricity this project will generate is huge—will it be used in Burma, Thailand or both?

A: Our main goal is to produce electricity and then sell it. Currently, power demand in Myanmar [Burma] is not very high. Just 100-200 megawatts is already enough for all of Tenassarim Region. But 5-10 years from now even this power plant’s projected 1,800 megawatt output won't be enough for Tenassarim Region. In the future, demand for electricity will be much higher throughout the country if the national grid is connected. Because the project is in Myanmar we will sell to Burmese customers first, and then we will sell any excess electricity to foreign countries, particularly Thailand. At the moment, we are considering how to solve the problem faced by consumers in a country where electricity costs are already very high (400 kyat per unit). We are thinking that within a year Burma will link up with Thailand’s electrical grid and distribute electricity in Burma at a low price. This is one of our priorities.

Q: Will any electricity from this power plant be distributed to the Dawei special economic zone or other parts of Burma?

A: Yes, it will be distributed to many areas. Since this US$3.4 billion investment is so large we need to clearly demonstrate that there will be enough demand for the plant's output in order to obtain loans from international financial institutions. Currently, Burma isn't in a position to buy all the electricity this plant is expected to generate, but there is enough demand in Thailand. And Thailand is a willing buyer, so if Burma doesn’t buy electricity from the power plant we can sell it to Thailand. After selling our electricity to Thailand we will ask other regions in Burma whether they are willing to buy the electricity, and if they are willing to buy then we will sell it to them. In other words, we need to make this project profitable.

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As a Myanmar [Burmese] businessman, I want to satisfy the electricity needs of the local area as well as the entire country. On the other hand, I want to see this region develop in a win-win fashion. It also depends on the feasibility survey and the EIA/SIA. If the survey results and the EIA/SIA are not good, then we can't implement the project. Otherwise, the Ayar Hinthar Company won’t be able to operate in the future because we might become a public company. If we become a public company everyone will benefit because this industry has huge profit margins.

However, you can't talk about profits without being transparent. I want local residents to participate, so we will transform Ayar Hinthar into a public company. In this sector, most players are public companies, including Marubeni and PTT [the Japanese and Thai entities, respectively, that are part of the Myeik power plant consortium]. Burma is one of the only countries in the world that doesn’t have public energy companies, so I would like Ayar Hinthar to become a public company.

 

Schools, businesses close as tensions rise in Hpakant

Posted: 18 Oct 2014 01:28 AM PDT

Hpakant Township residents say that tensions between government forces and the Kachin Independent Army (KIA) continue to rise in the area, forcing schools and businesses to close down.

The already tense atmosphere in the jade-rich Kachin State township was exacerbated on October 15 when a local Burmese army battalion prohibited Aung Bar Lay Village residents from moving freely around the area.

As a result, schools in Aung Bar Lay and Kan See Villages have been closed and many businesses in Hpakant have also shut their doors, according to Sheila Seng, an honorary National League for Democracy (NLD) member in Hpakant.

In an interview with DVB, Sheila Seng said: "Schools in Kan See and Aung Bar Lay had to close down temporarily as government troops are poised to launch an offensive at any time. The schools were closed for the safety of the students. The jade businesses [in Hpakant] have also slowed down. People are very concerned about this dangerous situation.”

The honorary NLD member also said that both the Burmese army and the KIA have reinforced their troops in the past few days.

"There are many troops. They have been transported from lower Burma in trucks of all sizes. There was already a military division in the area, and around 1,000 reinforcements have just arrived. We also heard the KIA is reinforcing its troops because without reinforcements they would be trapped," she said.

The standoff began when companies that didn't want to pay taxes to the KIA complained to government troops, who then ordered KIA troops to withdraw from the area. Government troops also instructed local villagers to move away from the area, according to local residents.

The KIA's Vice Chief of Staff, Major General Gon Maw, told DVB that friction between government forces and KIA soldiers started increasing when the government ordered the KIA's 6th Battalion to leave the area.

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Although Maj. Gen. Gon Maw said that mediators are currently negotiating a way to resolve the problem, he indicated that fighting will probably break out again if the negotiations fail.

"Our battalion is negotiating with local government forces, and our liaison office in Myitkyina is negotiating with government commanders. We also sent a letter to U Aung Min, but the government keeps telling us to move the KIA's 6th battalion away from the area. If they launch an offensive on the 6th Battalion there will be an escalation of conflict in Kachin State,” said the KIA major general.

There hasn't been any shooting yet, but villagers from Aung Bar Lay are talking with religious and social organizations about the possibility of taking refuge in a safer part of Hpakant Township.

Thai PM accepts help from UK detectives in Koh Tao case

Posted: 17 Oct 2014 11:39 PM PDT

Thailand's government will allow British detectives to help investigate the case involving the murder of two British citizens on Koh Tao island.

The prime minister of Thailand's military government, Prayut Chan-o-cha, accepted the UK's offer to assist in the investigation during a meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron on the sidelines of the ASEM summit of European and Asian leaders in Milan.

Shortly after the two Britons were murdered on 15 September, Thai police detained two Burmese migrant workers, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, as prime suspects in the case.

Although Thai police officers have been accused of torturing the two suspects in order to obtain their confessions, Thai police authorities have denied these accusations.

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Many people believe the Thai police investigation was flawed, and nearly 100,000 people sent a petition to the British government calling for an independent investigation.

The Bangkok Post also reported that Thailand's most-respected forensic specialist, Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan, cast doubt on the investigation by pointing out that Thai detectives neglected to request assistance from forensic pathologists.

The Burmese suspects are both 21 years-old and from Arakan State's Kyaukphyu Township. They are being detained on charges related to the rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23, and the murder of David Miller, 24, both from England. The British couple were bludgeoned to death while visiting the Thai resort island of Koh Tao last month.

Burma’s U-19 football team qualifies for World Cup

Posted: 17 Oct 2014 10:31 PM PDT

Burma's under-19 (U-19) football team beat the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 1-0 on 17 October, qualifying the team for next year's U-20 World Cup and the Asian Cup semi-finals.

Neither country managed to score a goal during the first half, but in the second half Burma scored what turned out to be the game's decisive goal when Than Paing kicked a close-range shot past the UAE goalkeeper at the 52-minute mark.

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The victory means that Burma's U-19 team now advances to the Asian Cup semi-finals and qualifies for the 2015 U-20 World Cup in New Zealand—the first time a Burmese team has qualified for the World Cup since 1972.

Prior to the UAE match, Burma played against Yemen, Thailand and Iran in matches at the group stage.

 
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