George W. Bush threw the world -- and the media -- a curveball during his U.N. speech this past week when he suddenly developed an interest in Myanmar (formerly Burma) and the violent reaction of the military junta there to pro-democracy demonstrations. The media dutifully has picked up the story, serving its now routine purpose of stenographing the White House's desires. Of course, my first question upon learning that Myanmar is supposed to be important to me, was whether Myanmar has any oil. They must, otherwise, the Bush administration would have no interest in them, or in their need for "democracy." But let's back up a bit. First, here's Wikipedia's rundown on Myanmar, as well as a map. (Short version: Myanmar is in east Asia, east of India, between Bangladesh, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and China.)
And here's CNN's latest update on the violence that's taking place there (short version: Myanmar is ruled by a military junta. Pro-democracy groups, and even monks, have been demonstrating, and the government has been cracking down on them violently.) And now, here's the low-down on the oil:
Just last Sunday Indian Oil Minister Murli Deora was in Myanmar's capital for the signing of oil and gas exploration contracts between state-controlled ONGC Videsh Ltd. and Myanmar's military rulers.
The signing ceremony, which coincided with marches led by Buddhist monks that drew thousands in Myanmar's biggest cities, was an example of how important Myanmar's oil and gas resources have become in an energy-hungry world. Even as Myanmar's junta intensifies its crackdown on pro-democracy protests, oil companies are jostling for access to the country's largely untapped natural gas and oil fields that activists say are funding a repressive regime.
China -- Myanmar's staunchest diplomatic protector and largest trading partner -- is particularly keen on investing in the country because of its strategic location for pipelines to feed the Chinese economy's growing thirst for oil and gas.
Companies from South Korea, Thailand and elsewhere also are looking to exploit the energy resources of the desperately poor Southeast Asian country.
France's Total SA and Malaysia's Petroliam Nasional Bhd., or Petronas, pump gas from fields off Myanmar's coast through a pipeline to Thailand, which takes 90 percent of Myanmar's gas output, according to Thailand's PTT Exploration & Production PLC.
Figures.
Labels: Myanmar, oil |
