Sittwe (Mizzima) – The Rakhine Social Association has called for the suspension of two deep sea port projects to be built in the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ) on Myanmar’s western coastline.
The project is planned as a key port in the Bay of Bengal which will serve as a hub for energy and goods from India, the Middle East and Africa.
The Rakhine Social Association (Yangon) Chairman Hla Thein said his group was calling attention to their concerns.
“We worry about bringing a coal-fired power plant and the oil refinery industry to this SEZ,” he said.
Kyaukphyu SEZ Management Committee chairman and Union Rail Deputy Minister Myint Thein said at Union Parliament meeting on December 3 that the commencement of the project would take place in February 2016.
Hla Thein noted that environmental hazards have resulted in other countries from such energy-processing industrial zones. “We don’t want to see such hazards in our region,” he said.
He said he was also concerned about local residents being forced to move without proper support. The group’s statement said there is lack of public awareness about the SEZ, and a lack of environmental impact and health studies by independent and internationally recognized organizations.
The government has established three Special Economic Zones: at Thilawa, Dawei and Kyaukphyu.
The Kyaukphyu SEZ will be environmentally sustainable and bring significant socio-economic benefits to the region, say government officials. (Courtesy of Mizzima )
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