Last week, Burma, India and Bangladesh publicly revealed that they would cooperatively begin construction of the Shwe gas pipeline. Nearly one year ago, 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. Daewoo International, one of South Korea’s largest companies, was granted the contract to explore the natural gas block.

This project, known as Shwe, which means “gold” in Burmese, is strongly opposed by local communities and environmentalists because of the oppressive nature of the Burmese government and the project’s potential harm to human rights and the environment. In EarthRights International’s view, an alarming number of similarities already exist between the Yadana Pipeline and the Shwe Pipeline.

If nothing is done, it appears likely that history will repeat itself. Forced labor and human rights abuses remain an ongoing problem throughout Burma, and it can be assumed that these violations will continue at any major development project site. Affected and concerned communities gathered in Bangladesh last week to publicly demonstrate their opposition to such a project.