Despite Principles of Gandhi, India Continues Support to Military in Burma Through Lucrative Gas Deals

NEW DELHI / THAILAND, October 2, 2007 -- As violent crackdowns on peaceful protestors continue in Burma, the Shwe Gas Movement (SGM) condemns the Government of India’s oil and gas partnerships with the military regime in Burma and urgently calls on the Government of India to suspend all oil and gas investments in the country.

According to Wong Aung, Global Coordinator of the SGM, “India’s financial support for the junta through lucrative gas deals and trade cooperation is integral for the regime to maintain its stability, and a stable junta is a violent junta.”

The SGM’s demand comes on the birthday of India’s most revered spiritual and political leader, Mohatma Gandhi. The pioneer of satyagraha, a concept of mass civil disobedience against tyranny, and rooted in ahimsa, or nonviolence, Gandhi led India to Independence and inspired the world to speak out against injustice.

“India’s current support for the regime in Burma and insignificant response to the ongoing violence and killings in Burma is a total affront to everything Gandhi taught us,” added Kim, Coordinator of the SGM in India. “India should stand up for freedom, human rights, and democracy in Burma.”

Nationwide protests in Burma began over one month ago when the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) raised the price of fuels, including a 500 percent increase in the price of natural gas. Led by Buddhist monks, protests climaxed last week with hundreds of thousand of protestors taking to the streets in Rangoon and other cities, peacefully protesting the military regime. It was the biggest challenge to military rule in 20 years. The military responded with brutal force, beating and killing protestors with automatic weapons and live ammunition. In the midst of this, India’s Petroleum Minister Murli Deora traveled to Burma with executives of the national oil company ONGC Videsh to sign three new deals to extract and export natural gas.

The regime in Burma has confirmed an estimated 15.85 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas in offshore reserves, with another 768 tcf onshore. ONGC Videsh and the GAIL both have investments in the lucrative Shwe gas fields in Burma’s Bay of Bengal. The Shwe Gas Project, led by Korea’s Daewoo International, stands to earn the regime between US$12-17 billion. Last year, the regime earned approximately US$2.2 billion in gas sales to Thailand through the Thai company PTTEP.

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ERI is a member of The Shwe Gas Movement (SGM), which was started by activists from Arakan State, Burma. It includes regional and international NGOs. The 5 core members are SGM Bangladesh, SGM India, the All Arakan Student and Youth Congress (AASYC), the Arakan Oil Watch (AOW), and EarthRights International (ERI); partner organizations include the Korean House for International Solidarity (KHIS), the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement (KFEM), The Other Media in New Delhi, and a global network of activists. For more information and to download the full-length report "Supply and Command," please visit www.shwe.org.

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Related news on the role of the oil and gas industry:

• NY Times - Myanmar's Resources Provide Leverage
• Mother Jones Magazine - The Politics of the Belly: Who's Enabling Burma's Junta?

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