the woeful plight of undesired gas pipeline

[Sawor Mon]

In November 2000 the Burmese military government began construction on the 180 miles KanBauk-MyaingKalay gas pipeline across Burma’s Sothern peninsula.

Construction of the pipeline led to the militarization of the area. Subsequently extensive human rights violations are committed by soldiers including forced labor, arbitrary taxation, rape and even summary execution.

The military regime is the sole beneficiary of gas sales from the pipeline that passes through varied terrains and ethnic regions. The pipeline ultimately supplies gas to a concrete manufacturing plant in Mayaing Kalay and electricity turbine in Rangoon.

Though completed, the pipelines presence continues as the locus of human rights abuses committed by local military battalions.