- Web Master
- February 12, 2024
Thinzar Nwe, Narinjara News, 29 October 2024
In Arakan's troubled waters, overseas companies
persist in collaborating with the military regime through joint ventures.
This ongoing partnership has significantly
limited local fishermen's activities for several months, causing major
hardships for the area's residents who depend on fishing for their livelihood.
"Large tankers come and go every few days.
When they're here, we can't fish. Each time, it takes at least an hour or two.
There's no fixed schedule for their movements, so we're struggling. For the
next couple of months, they'll also be doing waterway work, which will make
things even tougher for fishermen," explained a fishing industry worker
from the Maday Island area.
From October 21 to December 31, the regime has
banned local fishing, citing dredging work by the Trailing Suction Hopper
Dredger, Reem Island, to help big oil tankers reach Maday Island's oil port.
"If they stop fishing for months, how will locals survive? If these people can't fish for even one day, how will they feed their families? Officials must take this seriously. Right now, they're working with foreign companies without thinking about the local people," he added.
To avoid delays during dredging, the regime has
put out a notice banning fishing, setting up fishing gear, and the movement of
all boats within 500 meters of the work area and 250 meters of the shelter area.
A man from Myo Chaung sub-township told Arakan
News Agency that on October 23, regime troops on navy ships from the Taung Maw
Gyi base took nets and fish from small boat fishermen near Kyaukphyu.
"When the navy saw the fishermen, they
told them never to fish here again. Then they took their nets and the two
visses (about 3kg) of fish they'd caught. The fishermen are risking their lives
to catch fish on their own land. We don't know if we'll live or die under this
regime," he said.
Locals say fishermen who rely on fishing to
live are having a hard time making money because of the ban and arrests.
In Kyaukphyu, fishing is totally banned in the
upper part of Maday Kyun, the start of the Thanzit River, and near the
Dhanyawadi navy base in the lower part of Maday Island.
POSCO International Myanmar E&P, partnering
with MOGE for oil exploration and drilling work, will inspect the Shwe
Project's subsea system using MV.PTSC Thai BINH. This operation will close
vessel passage from November 22 to December 31.
The company's joint venture with the
military-linked MOGE continues despite ongoing conflicts in Arakan, further
impacting local fishermen's livelihoods in the region.