Ethnic parties to visit Yunnan, raise concerns
Play
Representatives of ethnic political parties will discuss ongoing controversial issues relating to Chinese gas pipeline projects in Myanmar on their upcoming visit to China at the invitation of Chinese Communist Party, MP Dr Aye Maung said.
“[We] will stay about 4 days in Yunnan. During those days, they will take us to the factories, implementing projects of China and some towns. If there is chance, we will discuss mainly the issue of Shwe Gas Pipeline Project in Rakhine State,” Dr Aye Maung, who is also chairman of Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, said.
The Myanmar-China oil and gas parallel pipelines connect Maday Island in Kyaukphyu in Rakhine state and Kunming in Yunnan in southern China. They will carry oil and gas from the Shwe Gas Project.
The pipelines will also be used to relay oil from the Middle East to China through the shorter transit at Kyaukphyu port.
Dr Aye Maung said that they will talk with Chinese officials about the conflict between local people on Maday Island off Kyaukphyu and South East Asia Pipeline Company, a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), which is operating the pipeline project.
Last week, local villagers held a rally and demanded CNPC to pay higher compensation fees for confiscated farmland, to construct roads in the area, to provide jobs for locals with labour cards and pay higher wages. They also want it to arrange electricity there, to check outside workers to ensure local workers’ security, to allow fishing at waters around the island, not to confiscate land without notice to locals, and to develop new farmland for villagers, and compensate farmers whose crops were damaged.
Zaw Aye Maung, Rakhine National Affairs Minister, said that the discussion with Chinese authorities would be based on the above demands.
The Chinese Communist Party, which has invited Rakhine Nationalities Development Party and some others to visit China, hosted an earlier visit by the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party. They may also invite the opposition – National League for Democracy and its leader Aung San Suu Kyi, according to a report last month in the Chinese state-backed Global Times.
The report said Myanmar is driven by different political forces, and China should keep friendly ties and a fair stance with them as long as they don’t oppose China. It encouraged more talks and communication between the two countries.
Myanmar politicians said that invitations from China’s Communist Party were intended to strengthen bilateral relations.
