Dated: Tuesday, December 23, 2003.
Burma gas sale to India
Arakan body urges PM not to allow pipeline
Chittagong, Dec. 23: The Arakan Muslim Community Development Foundation of Burma has urged Prime Minister Khaleda Zia not to allow construction of Burma toIndia gas pipeline through Bangladesh, according to Mr. Mohammad Zahir Gaffari, the President of the Foundation.
In a letter sent to the PM recently, he said �the Arakanese are against export of gas to India by the ruling junta in Burma and residents of Arakan State in Burma have been agitating against the export of gas to India as the gas sale would not benefit them. Export of natural gas to India has been kept a secret to the people of the state.�
The international oil companies will start producing natural gas from block (A-1) of the Arakan coast, but the public has no idea about what to expect from the major oil exploration. The people of Arakan do not know that the project has already been sold to India by the junta and production will commence shortly by an international consortium led by Indian Oil Company Kugos, according to a statement by Indian gas companies, he further said.
The gas will be fed through a pipeline from Kyauktaw-Platwa in northern Arakan via Tripura and Mizoram in India to Assam, Gaffari said in his letter to the PM. # #
Dated: Tuesday, December 23, 2003
Burma-Bangladesh Friendship Road Starts this Winter
Chittagong, Dec. 23: Burma-Bangladesh Friendship Road will be started in coming winter for direct road link between Rangoon and Dhaka, Bangladesh Communications Minister Nazmul Huda said yesterday, according to UNB, a local news agency of Bangladesh.
A meeting at communications ministry yesterday reviewed development of the 34-km Ramu-Balukhali road at Bangladesh side and 25-km Taungbro-Bolibazar road in Burma part, officials said.
The meeting also discussed construction of two bridges and two kms of new road for the project, they added.
A report on the construction site of a proposed bridge near Taungbro border in Burma was handed over to the communications minister at the meeting, sources said.
The proposed 91-km cross-border highway would be built from Ramu of Chittagong to Buthidaung in Arakan State at an estimated cost of about Tk 400 crore, sources added.
Among other Bangladesh authorities, Syed Rezaul Hayat, communications secretary, and Sheikh Rabiul Islam, chief engineer of Roads and Highways Department, were present at the meeting. # #
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Dated: Tuesday, December 23, 2003
MOVE TO DESTROY CENTURIES OLD VILLAGE FOILD
Maungdaw, Dec. 23: On December 11, 2003, local women and students foiled on attempt to destroy centuries old village in the city�s predominantly Rohingya Muslims area of Myo Ma Kayan Dan (Shikdar Para) village of Maungdaw town in Arakan State, after clashes between police and village women and students, according to our correspondent.
On the said day, the Maungdaw Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) Chairman Captain Hla Pho accompanied by some policemen went to the Myo Ma Kayan Dan village to evacuate 26 houses. While the policemen were trying to destroy one of the houses, some students from nearby State High School of Maungdaw Town and women from the village put up a resistance, resulting in a series of pitched battles between the two sides. The police later fled the scene. A woman, Somira Begum was slightly injured in the clash, he further added.
Knowing the situation of clash, more policemen came from their camp to the spot as reinforcement. As a result, more students nearby high school joined the clash. Due to mass involvement of students in the clash, police and SPDC authorities could not dare anymore in their evacuate program and retreat to their camp, said another villager who is a victim of relocation.
The next day, the village PDC Chairman together with some villagers was called to the Township PDC Office to resolve the problem. But, the out come of the office is still unknown, he further said.
We, as human beings we have the rights to stay in our village. Despite rehabilitation, they forced us into the streets to demolish our society, said a woman who is participated in the clash.
Another religious leader said,� The eviction of the houses is maltreatment against Rohingyas. Confiscation of Rohingya lands and uprooting of their centuries old settlements are nothing but and attempt to destroying the economic bases of the Rohingya people.�
Though the concerned authority had ordered to vacate these houses in August 2002, these villagers could manage to get continuous stay permit there after bribing some money.
In the same way, on June 14, 2003, the Maungdaw Township PDC Chairman ordered to evacuate said 26 dwelling houses. But, no instruction was given from government side about the compensation or alternative site for their resettlement. ##
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