Narinjara News

 

The New Age


Dhaka, Feb 13

 

 

Exiled Arakanese want gas pipeline project scrapped

 

The Arakanese in exiled in Bangladesh Saturday appealed both to Bangladesh and India to stop a tri-nation gas pipeline project that also involves Myanmar.

 

The Arakanese, under the banner of the Arakan League for Democracy (exile), also urged the international community to pressure the military government of Myanmar to stop the ‘sham’ national convention scheduled to be held on February 17.

 

The call was made at a press conference at the National Press Club and San Hla Fru, Vice-president of the organization, read out a written statement at the conference.

 

The Jatiya Gonoprotirodh Andolon convener, Raisuddin Arif, the BAKSAL Chairman, Mahbub Alam, and the National Student-Youth Committee convener, Kamrul Alam, espressed solidarity with the call.

 

The Arakan League for Democracy said the February 17 convention was aimed at legitimizing the illegitimate military rule in Myanmar.

 

The selling of gas discovered in Arakan through a pipe from Myanmar to India via Bangladesh would result a gross human rights violations as the pipeline project would cause repression and persecution by the military junta and also render many people homeless in the state.

 

“The pipeline project will only benefit the military junta of Myanmar leaving many common people in a hardship, the statement of the organization said.

 

Most of the hard currency earned by selling gas from the offshore of the Arakan would be used for the military’s prolonged stay in power and some of them (money) would be utilized for buying sophisticated weapons for suppressing the people, the statement added.

 

The Arakan League for Democracy, earlier, urged the Indian Government not to start construction of pipeline during the military rule.

 

In the statement the Arakan League for Democracy also urged the international committee to pressurize the military government there to set free Aung San Suu Kyi and other political leaders.

 

Note: Besides the New Age, this news story was covered in Dhaka based the Bangli

newspapers; the Azakay Kagoz and the Enkilab.   

 

Full Narinjara archive in the Online Burma/Myanmar Library at

http://www.burmalibrary.org/show.php?cat=1250&lo=d&sl=0