Despite global annoyance over Myanmar’s bloody crackdown on the Buddhist monks and dissents, multinational firms are still competing and racing to grab contracts on the country’s rich natural resources. This move by the multinationals is actually throwing an economic lifeline to the military regime which is otherwise facing a serious threat from the general people.
Multinational firms from China, South Korea, India and Thailand are looking to exploit the energy resources of Myanmar. US based energy giant Chevron, French oil group Total and China’s top oil producer, China National Petroleum Corporation are among the companies giving much needed income to the Myanmar’s autocratic government. Currently, France’s Total and Malaysian Petroliam Nasional Bhd, pump gas from fields off Myanmar’s coast through a pipeline to Thailand, which takes 90 % of Myanmar’s total gas output. Recently, Indian Oil Minister Murli Deora was in Yangon, for signing contracts between Indian ONGC Videsh and Myanmar’s military rulers to explore three offshore blocks.
Altogether, nine foreign oil companies are involved in 16 oil and gas blocks of the country. These petroleum corporations offer economic support to the country’s repressive junta, and in some cases are complicit in human rights abuses. According to the US legal director of Earth Rights International, “They are funding the dictatorship”. “The oil and gas companies have been one of the major industries keeping the regime in power”. Co-coordinator of the Alternative ASEAN Network, Debbie Stothard said “All these profits go to the regime”. He added “these companies don’t care about human rights and what is going on in Yangon”.
Japan’s Nippon Oil Corp, South Korea’s Daewoo International, Malaysia’s state-run Petronas and two Indian power giants, Gail India and Oil and Natural Gas Corp, are also racing for new billion-dollar contracts. Japan’s Nippon Oil said, there would be no change in its Myanmar operations following the crackdown on demonstrations. It said that it sees the political situation and energy business as separate matters.
Last week, French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged his country’s businesses, including Total, to freeze their investments in the impoverished nation, which has been ruled by the military since 1962. Total has a 31% stake in Myanmar’s major Yadana project, which would carry gas from fields in the Andaman Sea to power plants in Thailand. Total has not yet made any public announcement on the issue.
One more time, these blood eating multinationals have proved that ‘Humanity’ and ‘Business’ are actually two separate issues.
