Maday Island Deep-Sea Port No Boon to Locals

People in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, said they only have access to electricity about three hours a day.

Four hydro-power plant projects are being implemented in Arakan State, but the regime has already signed deals with China, India and Bangladesh to sell them the electricity from these power plants.

With Maday Island and Kyaukpru residents apparently enduring all of the hardships related to the deep-sea port and related projects while the Burmese regime, the Chinese and other outside parties reap the benefits, legal experts and politicians in the area said they will try their best to protect locals from repression and human rights abuses.

“We will raise this issue in the national parliament if we can. Otherwise, we will discuss it in the state parliament. If the parliaments do not agree with us we will speak out against the projects,” said Ba Shin, a Kyaukpru resident and member of the Pyithu Hluttaw [People's Assembly] from the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party.

“I don't see any significant benefit for local people following the completion of those projects. So, we will only discuss issues beneficial for our people,” he said.