Environmentalists Voice Concerns about Tavoy
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Environmentalists Voice Concerns about Tavoy


By LAWI WENG Tuesday, December 6, 2011


Mechanical diggers on the pristine beaches near the sleepy fishing town of Dawei (Tavoy). (Photo: AFP)
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Speaking about the Tavoy Deep Seaport after a fact-finding mission held a meeting on Friday in Sanghklaburi, Thailand, the chairman of the Foundation for Ecological Recovery said that he is worried about the environmental impact of building the massive seaport.

“We want to know how much opportunity the local Tavoy residents have to participate in the project,” said Beerawat Dheeraprasart. “We also want to know how many of the residents understand the impact on the environment. This is important because they are the ones who are going to suffer from it.”

The Foundation for Ecological Recovery reported that the Thai Investment Board has offered a substantial sum of money to build the Tavoy Deep Seaport and Industrial Zone. Meanwhile, some 4,000 megawatts of electrical power are required to run the industrial zone, which includes a coal facility that experts say will severely impact the environment and the livelihoods of local people.

“They are going to use water from the sea,” said Beerawat. “Then, the refuse water from the plants will be deposited back into the sea. All marine life will soon be extinct.”

The Burmese and Thai governments agreed in May 2008 a contract to begin construction on the Technical Zone in Tavoy Deep seaport.

The project is eight times bigger than the Map Ta Phut Industrial Zone in Rayong, Thailand, which is run by the same company, according to the Foundation for Ecological Recovery.

Map Tha Phut is estimated to have cost some 370 billion baht (US $10.5 billion) while the Tavoy project is estimated at around 303 billion baht ($8.6 billion).

Premsak Buawattana, another senior member of the Foundation for Ecological Recovery, said that he is worried for the Burmese people because they could suffer like the local people in Thailand who contracted cancer from poisoned water from the Map Ta Phut project. 

“We believe that the Burmese people should know about the impact. This company has already operated in our country,” he said. “Rights activists halted the company working in Thailand. Now they are moving to Burma.”

The Sanghklaburi workshop included Mon human rights activists who reported that the lack of stability and democratic law in Burma is conducive to conditions in Tavoy that will lead to human rights abuses.

According to the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), about 20 local villages were evacuated by the Burmese authorities in order to make way for the construction of the deep seaport.

Nai Kasauh Mon, the director of the Mon Human Rights Foundation, said, “We are worried that the Burmese authorities will not give compensation to the villagers even though the Italian-Thai company may hand over money to the Burmese authorities.”

Hathuethai Kongkoan, another senior member of the Foundation for Ecological Recovery, said that they intend to educate the villagers about the impact on the environment that this project may have. 

After they are aware of the impact, they will fight for their rights,” he said.

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Aung Wrote:
13/12/2011
If Burma doesn't build Tavoy the Burma will not develop its economy and local people will remain suffer in misery and poverty. And other neighbour countries will take this opportunity.
So don't listen to "enviromentalist" - they work for money which pay them foreign companies who want not Tavoy but their own projects.

Oo Maung gyi Wrote:
07/12/2011
Has morden technology to develop deep sea port. Not necessary to use coal to generate electricity. Coal will provide humanitaian problems and also environment devastation. Why Myanmar government is encouraging this Dawai project which can accomodatem only 30000/mt to 40000/mt vessels which is also not economical save and cannot povide business benefits at this world situation where as most of the countries are usin g minimum 75000/mt oil tanker and cargo carriers. That is why this project should close dawn.

X Wrote:
07/12/2011
It would be good to see the blue prints for the project.

Ohn Wrote:
07/12/2011
The story tells volumes these are THAI people talking about MASSIVE environmental destruction in Burma.

Where are the Burmese except the ones currently directly affected?

By ignoring (and in fact trying to exploit the situation like buying and selling land in Tavoy or Thilawa) every one is encouraging their OWN destruction.

Be selfish now and die miserably later seems to be Buddhist Burmese current motto.

Ohn Wrote:
07/12/2011
The Burmese will wake up and object in about 30 years, and massive loss of health and peace, later.

Currently everybody is so keen to make themselves look like Singapore, they will sell their mothers for it.

Environment?

Forget it. They neither understand or care. The military has a free hand. The "oppositions" are if anything more keen for destruction.

They may simply want the Americans to do it rather than the Chinese or simple technical difference.

The devastation they desire is about the same.

Has anybody heard of NLD environment assessment committee as opposed to movie making committee? Nobody knows Shwe Gas Movement in Rangoon.

The "free" best selling, award winning journals writing about Shwe Gas or Tavoy destruction?

Oo Maung gyi Wrote:
06/12/2011
Tavoydeep s ea projectwill make pblem to every body and all house hold. Especially to get eelectiricity by using coal is totally notadvicible. The Tvoyan has the rights to object it. Evironment impactment can be provided many kinds of human problems and the peopleswill suffer vafious kind of illness. So it is better to object it to close dawn. Burma has natural harbour and deep sea which can be developed at Kyaukpyu, Arakan State with out any giving trouble to the local peoples.

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