The power of law and the power of people in defense of human rights and the environment
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Oil & Gas Development

Burma’s oil and gas sector is associated with massive scale human rights abuses and environmental degradation. The Burma Project monitors Burma’s oil and gas sector, collecting difficult to obtain information from inside Burma on internationally financed oil and gas projects. We also conduct fact-finding and research, which informs campaigning at the local and international levels, and explore the possibilities of litigation against multinational corporations who partner with the junta. ERI is currently campaigning against the Shwe Gas Project.

 
Burma Project Reports
Shwe Gas Politics Update

In recent months, both China and India have signed agreements with the Burmese military junta indicating their willingness to buy gas from the proposed Shwe gas project in western Burma, with Thailand also expressing interest. If built, the Shwe project would be Burma’s largest gas evelopment project ever.  Matthew Smith and Naing Htoo analyze the events surrounding the recent agreements and the inevitable consequences if the project were to proceed. Read the full article here. Please also see the more detailed report about these latest developments.

 

Another Yadana: The Shwe Natural Gas Pipeline Project (Burma-Bangladesh-India)

Another Yadana, sadly, is in the making. In January 2004, with the approval of the Burmese government, a consortium of South Korean and Indian companies announced plans to develop a massive natural gas field in the Gulf of Bengal, off the coast of western Burma. This new project, known as Shwe, which means “gold” in Burmese, is still in its early planning stages. In EarthRights International’s (ERI) view, an alarming number of similarities already exist between the Yadana Pipeline and the proposed Shwe Pipeline. If nothing is done, it appears likely that history will repeat itself. Forced labor and human rights abuses are still an ongoing problem throughout Burma, and it can be assumed that these violations will continue at any major development project site.

Fueling Abuse (4-page brochure)

(4-page brochure) 

Unocal, Premier, and TotalFinaElf's gas pipelines in Burma, built with the participation of the notorious Burmese military, have led to countless human rights abuses.

Fueling Abuse