Fishermen living and working near Kyaukpyu and Maday Island in Rakhine State are protesting against the influx of Chinese oil tankers into the area, claiming the presence of Chinese business has yielded no benefits for locals and has damaged their livelihoods.
Oil tankers operated by the China National Petroleum Corporation have been coming to the port on Maday Island since April 9 to deliver crude oil from Africa and the Middle East to the new 478-mile pipeline, designed to carry oil from Kyaukpyu to China’s Yunnan Province. The pipeline is expected to carry up to 22 million tons of oil per year – equal to nearly six percent of China’s total oil imports in 2016.
Local fishermen say they have had their livelihoods disrupted by the tankers. Fishing in the area is prohibited while the tankers are present, and fishermen are not told when the tankers will leave, forcing them to be idle for hours.
“The number of oil tankers coming in and out is on the rise. Before they enter, we have to stop laying fishing nets. We have to wait for a long time before they even arrive. More than 150 local fishermen have had their business affected,” fisherman Lone Lone told Eleven.
On May 18, residents of Maday Island submitted a request to the local government to hold a protest on May 22. They planned to gather en masse in 200 motorboats at the oil port and then to demonstrate at the China National Petroleum Corporation office in Kyauktan Township, according to Burma News International.
The protesters are demanding that the corporation restore their fishing waters, build roads around Maday Island, and contribute to overall regional development.
Moe Tein, an interpreter for the corporation’s Yangon office told Eleven: “Our company is registered in Myanmar. All functions are being carried out in line with the existing laws. I want to ask if Maday Island had electricity in the past? If the local people enjoyed drinking water provided door-to-door in the past? And if they had telephone service in the past? Our company has done a lot for regional development. For this fiscal year, we are conducting a survey on the pipeline area to provide $800,000 for regional development, as we plan to do every year.”
He added: “In any country, fishing is not allowed within the route of tankers.”
