Other Special Economic Zones
Individual Documents
Description:
"At a fruit market in Wanding, Ruili, a county on the China-Myanmar border, workers are transferring watermelons and muskmelons from Myanmar to heavy trucks which will soon leave for Beijing, Shanghai and other cities in China.
"Burmese fruit tastes good and enjoys great popularity among Chinese people," Said Liu Hongfang, a manager of the market. "About 400 Burmese trucks (3,000 metric tons) of fruit come and go in the market every day."
Thanks to closer cooperation between China and Myanmar, the company has expanded its scale and business, built refrigeration houses in Wanding and worked with locals of Mandalay to grow watermelon.
There are only about 400 kilometers from Mandalay to Myanmar's border town of Muse, next to Ruili in Southwest China's Yunnan province, but it would take the truck drivers two days because of the narrow and zigzag roads, according to Liu.
"What's worse, if a traffic accident occurs, the fruit will rot on the road," she added..."
Source/publisher:
"Chinadaily"
Date of publication:
2019-02-14
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-10
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma's economic relations with China, Border Trade with China, Other Special Economic Zones, China-Burma relations
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Behind closed doors, Myanmar has moved a step closer to approving the ambitious, multi-billion dollar China-Myanmar Economic Corridor.
Description:
"then Minister for Planning and Finance U Kyaw Win arrived at the State Guesthouse in Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan Province, to meet Mr Ning Jizhe, vice chairperson of China’s National Development and Reform Commission.
Kyaw Win was three days into a visit to China with a delegation of 56 businesspeople from the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the country’s peak business body.
That morning, he negotiated a draft Memorandum of Understanding for the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, a wide-reaching initiative that was formally announced by China’s foreign minister Wang Yi in November 2017.
The CMEC agreement is two things. First, it is a physical corridor that would connect China’s landlocked Yunnan through Mandalay to Kyaukphyu and Yangon, on new roads and a high-speed railway, in what Wang called a “three-pillar giant cooperation pattern”.
Second, it is a conceptual corridor. The overall aim is greater economic integration through initiatives such as industrial zones, trade quotas and tax breaks, but the CMEC can also include cooperation in areas not directly connected to the economy, such as disaster mitigation and public health.
The CMEC agreement is likely to see tens of billions of dollars of investment funnelled into Myanmar from private and state-owned Chinese firms under the One Belt, One Road initiative.
Despite the significance of the agreement for Myanmar’s future, the talks have taken place behind closed doors and with almost no public consultation. State media did not report on Kyaw Win’s trip to Kunming, and details of the February talks were not made public..."
Source/publisher:
"Frontier Myanmar"
Date of publication:
2018-09-26
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-10
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma's economic relations with China, Other Special Economic Zones, “One Belt, One Road” initiative, China-Burma relations
Language:
more
Description:
"In South Asia now, geo-economics seems all set to shape the region's geo-politics with Beijing's ambitious US$
50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), designed ostensibly to integrate economies of the restive
Xingian and western provinces with that of Pakistan. But its real strategic objective is to develop the sea ports
of Pakistan's Baluchistan to enable western China and the energy-rich Central Asian republics to gain
unfettered access to the Gulf and the Arabian Sea.
In this background, China’s reported move to build an economic corridor with Myanmar is cause for some
concern in India. The idea of a separate China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) was pushed through during
the recent visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Myanmar following his successful efforts to persuade
Myanmar and Bangladesh to discuss the Rohingya problem across the table and work out a framework of
agreement to a phased programme of their repatriation to Rakhine. The Chinese have apparently done a lot of
hard work to bring home to the Myanmarese Army the point that the global community and the UN system will
never accept the expulsion of Rohingyas as it violates human rights and the customary international law of
citizenship.
The significance of Chinese intervention, the first time in history in a long-drawn-out dispute involving two
states, which till 1935, were parts of the British Raj, cannot be missed by strategic analysts, as it has demonstrated growing Chinese influence in Myanmar and Bangladesh, both of which share borders with India and are
of vital importance to the success of India’s Act East Policy.
The CMEC might have come as a surprise as it runs parallel to the Bangladesh-China-India and Myanmar
Initiative (BCIM), but the fact remains that it has been a non-starter, especially after China launched CPEC,
which passes through the areas of Jammu and Kashmir under illegal occupation of Pakistan and is seen as a
China-led initiative..."
Source/publisher:
"Institut für Strategie- Politik- Sicherheits- und Wirtschaftsberatung (ISPSW)"
Date of publication:
2018-01-00
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-10
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma's economic relations with China, Other Special Economic Zones, China-Burma relations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
158.21 KB
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Description:
"THILAWA, Myanmar: A Japan-backed special economic zone in Myanmar is expanding as an alternative production hub for China and Vietnam, attracting growing numbers of Japanese and other foreign firms to the outskirts of Yangon.
More than half of the total developed area of 5.83 million square metres in the Thilawa Special Economic Zone is already occupied, said Tomoyasu Shimizu, president of Myanmar Japan Thilawa Development Ltd, or MJTD, the operator of the economic zone.
Since its opening in 2015, 105 companies have moved into the zone or signed tenancy contracts through last month, with 90 firms under full foreign ownership and 13 foreign-Myanmar joint ventures..."
Source/publisher:
"Bangkok Post"
Date of publication:
2019-06-06
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-10
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma's economic relations with Japan, Other Special Economic Zones, Japan-Burma relations
Language:
more
Sub-title:
The environmental and social impact assessment process for the China-backed port project in central Rakhine has started but questions arise whether developers are using the right legal framework.
Description:
"State-owned enterprise CITIC, in charge of the proposed US$1.3 billion Kyaukphyu port, kick-started the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) and preliminary geological survey this month.
The company said Canadian firm Hatch was hired as project manager to supervise the process and recruit the ESIA project consultants and contractors.
On July 2, CITIC held the first stakeholder meetings at the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Management Committee office in Yangon, and made site visits to the Madae Island.
It said it would “develop participation mechanisms for all stakeholders of the project in order to take extensive and adequate consultation” as part of the ESIA process. The preparation work will be carried out “in a rigorous, open and transparent manner.”
The idea of building a port and an industrial park in Kyaukphyu was mooted by the U Thein Sein government in 2015, which greenlighted the consortium led by CITIC to come up with a plan to establish a $7.5 billion SEZ in central Rakhine. A corporate promotional video suggests the scheme will create an investment and logistics hub akin to Hong Kong and Singapore. The government last November signed a “framework agreement” with CITIC. Myanmar will own 30 percent of the stake and the project will cost $1.3 billion. European and Japanese investors are unlikely to set up shop in the port or the industrial park, Yangon-based sources said.
However, confusion arises over the legal framework currently adopted by the developers. Myanmar’s environmental law demands a site-wide environmental impact assessment for a project of this size and scope, which should include an assessment of both environmental and social impacts.
CITIC’s latest press statement suggests that its current ESIA process is specifically for the port and not an SEZ.
If there’s to be an SEZ, that must be incorporated in the site-wise assessment, according to ICJ legal adviser Sean Bain. If the SEZ plan is scrapped and only a port project is planned, then it’s likely CITIC is operating under the wrong legal framework because the Investment Law would apply instead of the SEZ Law..."
Source/publisher:
Myanmar Times
Date of publication:
2019-07-19
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
“One Belt, One Road” initiative, Other Special Economic Zones, Burma's economic relations with China, China-Burma-US relations
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Exclusive: The location for Myanmar's first deep-sea port will be decided next year, according to a senior government official.
Description:
""Construction of a Yangon deep-sea port is one of the projects included as second priority in the National Transport Master Plan. Work is being made and the location can be finally selected and approved within 2020," U Aung Ye Tun, assistant secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, told The Myanmar Times.
Asked about the cost and project details, he said an analysis would be conducted before construction work begins.
"Only after the analysis is completed, approval will be made regarding the implementation method, that is, whether it is done by a public-private partnership model or by a loan."
In addition, the government will establish six inland ports in Bhamo (Bamaw), Upper Myanmar in Mandalay, Pakokku and Magway, and Monywa on Chindwin River, the official said.
"Our priority is in Mandalay and we will start construction in this coming October. The port [in Mandalay] will finish [construction] in March 2021. We intend to construct the remaining ports in the near future."
Businesses welcomed U Aung Ye Tun's intervention.
"U Aung Ye Tun has made a very helpful clarification on an issue which the industry is watching closely. A deep-sea port will be important for Myanmar's trade growth in the long term because existing capacity won't be able to cope. Larger vessel also lowers the ocean logistics cost," an industrialist, who asked not to be named, commented.
"The government is right to start planning this early on. The location will be a key factor in determining the logistics cost deriving from the land transport connecting the port. It is also equally important that the government pays attention to more pressing problems as well, such as improving the customs process," he added.
During an industry discussion in Nay Pyi Taw last month, U Aung Ye Tun listed some criteria for the facility, including water depth, transport infrastructure and connectivity to industrial zones..."
Source/publisher:
Myanmar Water Portal via "Myanmar Times"
Date of publication:
2019-07-25
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-25
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
more
Description:
China’s influence in Myanmar manifests on three different levels. At the bilateral level, the government and the military establishment of Myanmar receives diplomatic dividends for maintaining good ties with China. At the domestic political level, China’s relations with the country’s ethnic organizations makes it an important stakeholder in the ongoing reconciliation process. Finally, at the economic level, a lack of alternatives makes Naypyidaw reliant on Chinese investments, thereby ensuring favorable policies towards China over the longer term, notwithstanding regime changes.
Despite Myanmar’s increasing outreach to the outside world, Chinese engagement with the military and political elites in the country is still strong. Although Aung San Suu Kyi’s relationship with China has been complicated given her stature as a pro-democracy leader, in her more recent political career as State Counsellor she has a pragmatic route with regard to foreign policy. Her official visits to China have been viewed as largely fruitful, resulting in a greater understanding between the two countries, and helping shield Myanmar from international ostracism.
Source/publisher:
The Diplomat
Date of publication:
2019-05-07
Date of entry/update:
2019-05-25
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
“One Belt, One Road” initiative, Burma's economic relations with China, China-Burma relations, Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies), Other Special Economic Zones
Language:
English
more
Description:
"If the strategically important Kyaukpyu deep sea port in Rakhine State is developed systematically, it will help the country’s trade sector grow, said Mr Hong Liang, the Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar.
Myanmar is implementing three special economic zones, including the Kyaukpyu Deep Sea Port and the Kyaukpyu SEZ.
“The deep sea port will play a pivotal role in the development of the country. Imported goods are flowing into Myanmar through Singapore, resulting in additional cost. There is still no deep sea port in Myanmar. By doing so, the implementation of the Kyaukpyu Deep Sea Port will promote trade as well as foreign investment. It will also contribute to the peace and stability of Rakhine State,” said the Chinese ambassador.
He made the remarks at the 1st China-Myanmar tea party with media agencies.
The Kyaukpyu SEZ aims to build an economic corridor between China, India, and the ASEAN countries. The initiative began in December, 2015. A Chinese corporation is developing the deep sea port and the SEZ.
The deep sea port will have the capacity to handle 7.8 million tons of goods and 4.9 million containers yearly. The Kyaukpyu SEZ will be established over 1,000 hectares of land.
The government is inviting investors to invest in building fundamental infrastructure, such as electricity, telecommunication, water facility, and road upgrade. The deep sea port is expected to reach a developed stage in 20 years..."
Myint Maung Soe
Source/publisher:
Global New Light of Myanmar
Date of publication:
2019-05-23
Date of entry/update:
2019-05-23
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma's economic relations with China, China-Burma relations, Other Special Economic Zones
Language:
English
more
Description:
''Once stalled plans to build a high-speed railroad connecting China’s southern city of Kunming and Myanmar’s Kyaukphyu port on the Bay of Bengal are firmly back on track.
If completed, the 1,400-kilometer railroad will be a crucial link in a strategic economic corridor through which China’s imports and exports would bypass the congested Malacca Strait and contested South China Sea, both potential chokepoints in any conflict scenario.
There are already gas and oil pipelines in place running from Myanmar’s western coast and China’s southern Yunnan province which strategically bypass maritime bottlenecks and potential trouble spots...''
Bertil Lintner
Source/publisher:
Asia Times
Date of publication:
2019-02-21
Date of entry/update:
2019-02-21
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma's economic relations with China, Other Special Economic Zones, “One Belt, One Road” initiative
Language:
English
more
Description:
"Myanmar lawmakers have sounded alarm over the country’s high and rising debts owed to China, urging the National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government to pay back the loans as fast as possible to avoid a sovereignty-eroding debt trap.
With foreign exchange reserves at a meager US$6.35 billion in 2018 and the national debt estimated at US$10 billion, of which $4 billion is now owed to China, parliamentarian Than Soe recently suggested sending rice instead of dollars to China.
Whether China would accept such a deal remains to be seen. The interest rate on most Chinese loans is a whopping 4.5%, believed to be the highest rate among all the foreign government and financial institutions that Myanmar now owes.
Most of Myanmar’s foreign debt was accumulated between 1988 and 2011, a period when the country was subjected to Western sanctions imposed against the previous military regime’s poor rights record.
At the time, China was the only major foreign donor willing to lend generously to the ostracized regime. Myanmar’s over two decades of international isolation left it heavily indebted to Chinese monetary institutions...''
Bertil Lintner
Source/publisher:
Asia Times
Date of publication:
2019-01-31
Date of entry/update:
2019-02-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma's economic relations with China, Other Special Economic Zones, China-Burma relations
Language:
English
more
Description:
''Myanmar's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi was appointed the chairperson of a panel to oversee Belt and Road initiative (BRI) projects on December 7. The steering committee with Vice President U Myint Swe, ministers, and regional chief ministers as members aims to implement the joint establishment of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) under BRI.
The committee not only signals the importance Myanmar attaches to BRI, but also demonstrates that the CMEC is an important part of the comprehensive strategic cooperation between China and Myanmar.
Such cooperation includes better control over the northern Myanmar situation and maintenance of peace and stability on the border between Myanmar and China through which the CMEC will pass. Construction of the corridor will help regional stability and could also be a key to breaking the logjam in the peace process...''
Ge Hongliang
Source/publisher:
College of ASEAN Studies via "Global Times"
Date of publication:
2018-12-20
Date of entry/update:
2019-01-23
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma's economic relations with China, Other Special Economic Zones, Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies), “One Belt, One Road” initiative
Language:
English
more
Description:
''After meetings that took place in late November, between China’s National Development and Reform Commission deputy head Ning Jizhe and Myanmar’s State Councillor Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar has decided to proceed with developing the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC). This includes the development of all Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects such as the Kyaukpyu deep-water port, the Kyaukpyu-Kunming highspeed railway, special economic zones and natural gas pipelines.
A CMEC implementation committee will now look to establish fast progress on all potential CMEC projects throughout the country. To aid this progression Beijing initiated peace talks with the Myanmar government and the Northern Alliance – groups that did not sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. Since the talks took place earlier this month the Northern Alliance has agreed to cooperate in government peace efforts. This is significant as it is this political and security instability that has put the CMEC projects at risk in the China-Myanmar border region...''
Charles Williams
Source/publisher:
Global Risk Insights
Date of publication:
2019-01-04
Date of entry/update:
2019-01-23
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma's economic relations with China, Other Special Economic Zones, “One Belt, One Road” initiative
Language:
English
more
Description:
''In late November, Ning Jizhe, deputy head of China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), visited Myanmar and met with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and the minister of planning and finance along with other ministers. A week later, on December 6, the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) implementation steering committee, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, met. Years after the launch of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Myanmar is finally moving rapidly to embrace President Xi Jinping’s project.
CMEC is a bold step. It will bring China and Myanmar into the closet proximity ever in the history of their relationship, going far beyond trade and infrastructure development itself. This could the ace in the hole for Naypyidaw to overcome deadlocks in the country’s peace process and stimulate foreign investments...''
Source/publisher:
The Diplomat
Date of publication:
2018-12-08
Date of entry/update:
2019-01-23
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Other Special Economic Zones, Burma's economic relations with China, “One Belt, One Road” initiative
Language:
English
more
Description:
"Kyaukpyu is a coastal town along the Bay of Bengal in Myanmar?s western-most state of Rakhine. In 2016, subsidiaries of China?s CITIC Group Corporation, including China Harbor Engineering Company, won contracts for two major projects in the town—the dredging of a deep-sea port and the creation of an industrial area in an accompanying special economic zone (SEZ). The port project is valued at $7.3 billion and the SEZ at $2.7 billion. Under the terms of the deal, CITIC will build and then run the project for 50 years with a potential extension of another 25 years.
Negotiations on Kyaukpyu predate the Belt and Road Initiative—CITIC signed initial memorandums of understanding (MOUs) for the harbor project and a railway connecting the SEZ to southern China in 2009. However, they languished amid political sensitivities in Myanmar surrounding Chinese investments following the 2011 suspension of the Myitsone dam project and violent protests starting in 2012 over the Letpadaung copper mine. The railway MOU was canceled in 2014 while the port and SEZ industrial area projects are moving forward, but slowly and with considerable pushback within Myanmar. Only in October 2017 did the two sides reach an agreement on ownership of the port project after CITIC agreed to drop its stake from 85 percent to 70 percent. Ownership stakes in the SEZ have yet to be finalized..."
Source/publisher:
Center For Strategic and International Studies via "Progressive Voice"
Date of publication:
2018-03-00
Date of entry/update:
2018-04-19
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Other Special Economic Zones
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
1.63 MB
more
Description:
"We use a geographical simulation model to assess the economic impacts of special economic zones (SEZs) and other policy measures in Myanmar. We compare cases wherein SEZ development is concentrated in Thilawa/Yangon with those wherein it is dispersed among 15 districts. We find that concentrated development has a much larger economic impact on Myanmar. Moreover, this impact is larger when we assume the development of a domestic economic corridor and regulatory reform in addition to the development of Thilawa and may reduce the excessive inflow of households into the Yangon area. We also discuss how delaying the dispersion of development affects the economic impacts on Yangon and other regions as well as on Myanmar..."
Source/publisher:
IDE-JETRO Discussion paper No.639
Date of publication:
2017-03-00
Date of entry/update:
2018-04-06
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Other Special Economic Zones
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
698.98 KB
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Description:
Conclusion: "The Thilawa SEZ project is not clearly described and important information is missing
throughout the EIA document. The public consultation process did not involve all relevant
stakeholders, including affected communities, and did not provide sufficient information
in any case. Consequently, the consultation process did not meet international standards
and did not meet relevant JICA Guidelines. Had JICA provided adequate and appropriate
support for the EIA according to its Guidelines, it could have assured that the project
proponents were accounted for and planned to mitigate the negative social impacts that
are and will continue to result from the project. Already there have been substantial
impacts to local communities in Phase I as a result of relocation, including inadequate
compensation resulting in impoverishment, lost access to land, and reduced or lost
livelihoods. Thus, there is a direct link between JICA?s non-compliance with its Guidelines
and the injuries suffered by the relocated communities.
Furthermore, the analysis contained in the EIA is inadequate. Without further information
on the industries that will operate in the SEZ, it is impossible to assess and account for
the environmental and social impacts. Cumulative impacts are also ignored, and there is
little clarity as to why certain sites were selected for traffic or air testing or why waste
management data from an industrial zone in another country was used as a substitute
for actual information at the Thilawa SEZ."
Source/publisher:
Earthrights International
Date of publication:
2014-11-00
Date of entry/update:
2015-06-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Land confiscation for military, commercial and other purposes, Other Special Economic Zones
Language:
English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
1.21 MB 1.13 MB
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Description:
A briefer on the Thilawa special economic zone....."Twice the Myanmar Government attempted to confiscate residential and farm land for
the Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ), and twice they failed to properly follow Myanmar
laws. In both the 1996/97 and 2013 attempts to confiscate lands, the government and
private parties ignored the procedures and requirements of Myanmar law, including the
Land Acquisition Act. The Myanmar Government failed to properly notify affected
communities or provide adequate compensation for relocation. Furthermore, the Thilawa
SEZ Management Committee, the Yangon Regional Government, and the Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA) violated JICA?s Guidelines for Environmental and Social
Consideration (the ?Guidelines”), resulting in significant harm to Thilawa communities.
Accordingly, local communities request that these violations be acknowledged and
adequately remedied by the Myanmar Government, the Thilawa SEZ Management
Committee, and JICA as required by Myanmar law and JICA?s Guidelines..."
Source/publisher:
Earthrights International
Date of publication:
2015-06-02
Date of entry/update:
2015-06-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Land confiscation for military, commercial and other purposes, Other Special Economic Zones
Language:
English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
426.86 KB 1.13 MB
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Description:
"...I visited the [Thilawa] relocation site last month and met several families who told me that the loss of their farmland has meant not only that they have no more income, but that they are now unable to feed their families. The results of a survey conducted by Physicians for Human Rights bear out the individual stories I heard. After displacement average household income plummeted by 78 percent among those displaced and 14 of 29 families surveyed dropped below the poverty line. Adding to the concerns of the families, the sanitary conditions at their new homes fail to meet the minimum standards for a refugee camp, much less for permanent relocation.
These conditions were avoidable if the Myanmar and Japanese governments had followed international standards on forced displacement. Although both governments have committed to comply with the international guidelines regarding displacement, neither did so at Thilawa. These standards include ensuring that those moved are no worse off following relocation and that they should benefit from the development process on a sustainable basis. While initial compensation and housing was provided to these families, they are clearly worse off and have no sustainable way to provide for themselves following displacement.
JICA released its own report on the status of the displaced families in which it refuted allegations of non-compliance with its own environmental and social standards. Specifically, JICA claims that Thilawa villagers were not intimidated during the relocation process. Yet every family I spoke with and 93 percent of those surveyed by PHR reported that they felt threatened or afraid of what would happen if they refused to move..."
DeDe Dunevant
Source/publisher:
Mizzima
Date of publication:
2014-12-02
Date of entry/update:
2014-12-03
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Other Special Economic Zones
Language:
English
more
Description:
"Burma?s first special economic zone is set to begin operations next month on a sprawling complex about 25 kilometers south of Rangoon, and Set Aung is playing a major role. As chairman of the Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) management committee, he has helped oversee preparations to launch the Japanese-backed zone, which is 51 percent Burmese owned and will include a deep sea port, factories and large housing projects.
The Thilawa SEZ has been controversial among local farmers, who say their land was confiscated without proper compensation, but despite complaints the project has moved forward, and last week Japan?s Thilawa SEZ Company Ltd. (JTSC) signed a joint-partnership agreement in Tokyo with Myanmar Thilawa SEZ Holdings Public Ltd. (MTSH). In this interview, Set Aung offers more details about the timeline, investment and possible benefits of the special economic zone, while also responding to allegations of unfair compensation..."
Kyaw Hsu Mon
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy"
Date of publication:
2013-11-04
Date of entry/update:
2014-12-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Other Special Economic Zones
Language:
English
more
Description:
"...Japan?s ODA Charter states that in formulating and
implementing assistance policies, Japan will take
steps to assure fairness. This will be achieved by giving consideration to the conditions of the
socially vulnerable and to the gap between rich and poor, as well as the gaps among various regions
in developing countries. Furthermore, when im
plementing ODA, great attention will be paid to
factors such as environmental and soci
al impacts on developing countries.
JICA, which is responsible for ODA, plays a key role
in contributing to sustainable development in
developing countries. The inclusion of environmental and social costs in development costs and the
social and institutional framework
that makes such inclusion possible are crucial for sustainable
development. Internalization and an institutional
framework are requirements for measures regarding
environmental and social considerations, and JICA is required to have suitable consideration for
environmental and social impacts..."
Source/publisher:
JAPAN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGENCY (JICA)
Date of publication:
2010-04-01
Date of entry/update:
2014-12-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Other Special Economic Zones
Language:
English (original is in Japanese)
Format :
pdf
Size:
248.08 KB
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Description:
Investigation Report
Thilawa Special Economic Zone Development Project
In
The Republic of
the Union of Myanmar
November 2014
The Examiner for the JICA guidelines
for environmental and social considerations.....To ensure compliance with the ?Guidelines for Environmental and Social Considerations” published in April 2010 (hereinafter referred to as the ?Guidelines”) of Japan International Cooperation Agency (hereinafter referred to as ?JICA”), JICA has appointed external examiners for the Guidelines (hereinafter referred to as the ?Examiners”), who are to report their findings directly to the President of JICA (hereinafter referred to as the ?President”) and are independent from the departments of JICA responsible for individual projects and environmental analysis (hereinafter referred to as the ?Operational Departments”).
The Examiner for the JICA guidelines for environmental, social considerations
Source/publisher:
Examiner for the JICA guidelines for environmental and social considerations
Date of publication:
2014-11-00
Date of entry/update:
2014-12-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Other Special Economic Zones
Language:
English (original is in Japanese)
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
2.93 MB 248.08 KB
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Description:
"Myanmar government places a priority on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in order to achieve an
economical development, especia
lly in Thilawa as Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Under these
circumstances, Myanmar-Japan consortium have deci
ded to develop Thilawa SEZ Class A and carried
out Feasibility Study (F/S) for this Project since September in year 2012.
Thilawa SEZ is located beside the Thanlyin and Kyauktan towns, about 20 km southeast side of
Yangon city. Project area with 400ha is center of Thilawa SEZ with an area of
about 2,400 ha. Thilawa
SEZ is surrounded by ring road and accompanied with the container ports along the Yangon River.
As of September 2013, there is no detailed legal
process of the Environmental Impact Assessment
(EIA) in Myanmar. However, Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry (MOECAF) has
been drafting the EIA Procedures which is defined
detailed legal process regard
ing preparation of EIA
report, Environmental Management Plan (EMP),
public involvement, approval of EIA report by
MOECAF, and stakeholder meeting, and monitoring
process after approval of EIA report. In this
connection, the Project proponent decided to
prepare independent EIA report including EMP.
Based on the results of F/S, the Terms of Reference (TOR) for Environmental Impact Assessment
(EIA) investigation was agreed between the Project Proponent and MOECAF in the middle of
February 2013 and discussed in 1st
stakeholder meeting held in April 10th
2013. The field survey was
implemented in accordance with the TOR from March to August 2013 and the result of EIA
investigation including draft EMP was discussed in 2nd
stakeholder meeting held on August 23rd
2013.
Then EIA Report was submitted to MOECAF on 30th
September 2013 with some modification based
on the stakeholders? comments on Limited
EIA Report which was prepared on August 30th
2013. ..."
Source/publisher:
THILAWA SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (CLASS A) ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT September 2013 Myanmar and Japan Consortium for Thilawa Special Economic Zone Development Project
Date of publication:
2013-09-00
Date of entry/update:
2014-12-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Other Special Economic Zones
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
8.83 MB
Local URL:
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Description:
Conclusion:
"The displacement in Thilawa took place amid a broader
climate of state-sponsored abuse in Burma, where
people have no recourse to challenge illegal government
action. Specifically, the displacement process in Thilawa
violated residents? human rights, negatively affected
their ability to provide for themselves, and resulted in
deteriorating food security and limited ability to access
health care. The TSEZMC will relocate 846 more
households when development begins on phase two of
the project. If the TSEZMC, the Burmese government,
and JICA continue to operate as they did in the first
phase of the project, these households will suffer the
same fate.
Burma requires economic development, but given the
historical context of forced displacement, impunity for
human rights violations, weak rule of law, and
corruption, there is great risk that economic
development projects will benefit a select few in power
at the expense of deepened deprivation and poverty for
many others. Although the results of this survey cannot
be generalized for the country as a whole, the survey
does highlight risks inherent to any major development
project in Burma. Having recently emerged from more
than 50 years of military dictatorship, it will take time
and commitment to build a strong civil society that is
capable of educating people in Burma about their rights.
Residents generally fear their government, which for
decades has controlled the population by force. The
government has yet to implement sufficient
mechanisms to protect people from human rights
abuses and ensure justice for victims.
Given this context, any development project in the
country carries great risk of human rights violations.
JICA and other organizations implementing such
projects should make every effort to proactively identify
the potential negative outcomes and consult with the
affected community about how best to minimize or
eliminate these risks. The Thilawa case suggests that
foreign organizations cannot rely on the Burmese
government to protect the human rights of forcibly displaced
populations..."
Andrea Gittleman, Widney Brown
Source/publisher:
Physicians for Human Rights
Date of publication:
2014-11-00
Date of entry/update:
2014-11-18
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma/Myanmar: "Development"-induced displacement, Other Special Economic Zones, Health impacts of "development" projects
Language:
English, Japanese
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
571.51 KB 333.7 KB
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Description:
"Kyaukphyu port on Burma?s western coast could play a key role in a Beijing-led economic corridor plan linking neighbors India, Bangladesh and China.
But economists and foreign policy analysts are divided over whether the Naypyidaw government?s ambitions for a special economic zone (SEZ) around Kyaukphyu in Arakan State are viable.
The so-called BCIM Corridor, for Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar, was a key issue of discussion by China?s President Xi Jinping this week on a rare visit to India by a Chinese head of state.
A pivotal spot along the corridor would be Mandalay, linking China?s Yunnan province capital Kunming with northeast India and on into Bangladesh. But observers see the BCIM proposal as also instrumental in giving China access to the Indian Ocean.
The BCIM is a grand plan for Beijing to ?gain access to multiple coastal zones that are considered crucial for the next-generation Chinese economy,? commented India?s Telegraph business newspaper.
Within Burma this points to Kyaukphyu for the Chinese, who have already built a crude oil transshipment terminal there as well as controversial oil and gas pipelines that start at Kyaukphyu and run the length of Burma into Yunnan...
However, Chinese plans for a railway linking Yunnan with Kyaukphyu have soured amid a cooling relationship between Naypyidaw and Beijing..."
William Boot
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy"
Date of publication:
2014-09-19
Date of entry/update:
2014-09-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Other Special Economic Zones
Language:
English
more
Description:
"This is the final article in a two-part series, Myanmar?s False Frontier. Part 1: Economic reform as flawed ideology
The Framework for Economic and Social Reforms (FESR) announced by Myanmar President Thein Sein earlier this year detailed reforms aimed at fostering the country?s transition to a "modern, developed and democratic nation by 2030". Its strategy outlines a series of economic and social measures aimed at
achieving macro-economic stability, permissible levels of inflation, and strong industrial growth..."
David Baulk
Source/publisher:
"Asia Times Online"
Date of publication:
2013-10-25
Date of entry/update:
2014-05-30
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Other Special Economic Zones
Language:
English
more
Description:
"Myanmar and Japan agreed to start work next year on a huge industrial zone near Yangon, officials from the two countries said Friday, as the impoverished nation hungrily eyes foreign investment.
The 2,400-hectare Thilawa project will include a port and industrial park and be up and running in 2015, according to Japan?s Ministry for Economic, Trade and Industries (METI)..."
Source/publisher:
AFP
Date of publication:
2012-12-21
Date of entry/update:
2012-12-24
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Other Special Economic Zones
Language:
English
more
Description:
"China?s plans to build a giant industrial
zone at the terminal of its Shwe gas
and oil pipelines on the Arakan coast
will damage the livelihoods of tens of
thousands of islanders and spell doom
for Burma?s second largest mangrove
forest.
The 120 sq km ?Kyauk Phyu Special
Economic Zone? (SEZ) will be managed
by Chinese state-owned CITIC group
on Ramree island, where China is
constructing a deep sea port for
ships bringing oil from the Middle
East and Africa. An 800-km railway
is also being built from Kyauk Phyu
to Yunnan, under a 50 year BOT
(Build-Operate-Transfer) agreement,
forging a Chinese-managed trade
corridor from the Indian Ocean across
Burma. Investment in the railway
and SEZ, China?s largest in Southeast
Asia, is estimated at US $109 billion
over 35 years.
Construction of the pipelines and
deep-sea port has already caused
large-scale land confiscation. Now 40
villages could face direct eviction from
the SEZ, while many more fear the
impacts of toxic waste and pollution
from planned petrochemical and metal
industries. No information has been
provided to local residents about the
projects.
It is urgently needed to have stringent
regulations in place to protect
the people and environment before
projects such as these are implemented
in Burma."
Source/publisher:
Arakan Oil Watch
Date of publication:
2012-12-17
Date of entry/update:
2012-12-16
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Other Special Economic Zones, China-Burma relations, Shwe gas field and pipeline -- reports and articles
Language:
English, Burmese/ မြန်မာဘာသာ
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
809.78 KB 1011.42 KB
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Description:
"The ethnic conflict that ravaged much of Rakhine State in western Myanmar last month was an opportunity for more than settling old and new scores between Muslim Rohingya and Buddhist Rakhines and co-religionist new arrivals from elsewhere in the country.
Those involved were also clearing land in a densely populated area that is set to be among the country?s prime bits of real estate as energy-related projects start transforming the impoverished state.
More than 100 people (some reports indicate many times that number) were killed last month, untold others were wounded, and an estimated 28,000 fled or were driven from their homes in clashes between the stateless Rohingya and Buddhist citizens in a recurrence of violence last June. They are the latest incidents involving evicted ethnic groups around the country weeks before US President Obama visits Myanmar later this month.
"The government has taken the opportunity to create more violence allowing a destabilized and vulnerable state which they can then take the natural resources from. This is believed to be the main reason to why so many villages [in Rakhine State] were razed to the ground," the representative of one non-government organization (NGO) told Asia Times Online, citing the source as a Rakhine resident..."
Syed Tashfin Chowdhury, Chris Stewart
Source/publisher:
"Asia Times Online"
Date of publication:
2012-11-09
Date of entry/update:
2012-11-09
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Other Special Economic Zones, Land confiscation for military, commercial and other purposes
Language:
English
more
Description:
"The Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) located 25 km south of Rangoon should be operational early next year, Dr. Kan Zaw, Burmese Minister for National Planning and Economic Development, told a seminar on Sunday.
The project will be jointly controlled by the Japan External Trade Organization and the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) with a 49 and 51 percent share respectively, said the government official.
?All these instances of sound economics have materialized after we implemented reform,” said Kan Zaw. ?We invited international investment. This Thilawa SEZ is the product of creating an investor-friendly environment.”
Under the umbrella of the UMFCCI, shareholders of many associations from difference industrial sectors are expected to invest, but critics have complained about a lack of transparency and the possibility of a monopoly..."
May Lay
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy"
Date of publication:
2012-10-24
Date of entry/update:
2012-10-24
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Other Special Economic Zones
Language:
English
more
Description:
"Burma plans to set up seven more local industrial zones in addition to the existing 18 in the country, official state-run media said on Wednesday.
The seven planned new industrial zones will be located in Tatkon in Naypyitaw, Yadanarbon in Mandalay, Hpa-an, Myawaddy and Phayathonzu in Kayin state, Ponnagyun in Rakhine State and Namoum in Shan state, the Ministry of Industry announced in the New Light of Myanmar.
The expansion will bring the number of such zones to 25 in the country, the report said, adding that the new industrial zones will be able to generate many jobs for local residents.
Burma also has several special economic zone (SEZ) projects such as Thilawa in Yangon?s Thilawa Port, Dawei in southern Taninthayi region and Kyaukphyu in western Rakhine State..."
Source/publisher:
"Mizzima" News"
Date of publication:
2012-10-03
Date of entry/update:
2012-10-03
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Other Special Economic Zones
Language:
English
more
Description:
"Some three Myanmar companies and four foreign ones will jointly implement a special economic zone (SEZ) project in Pathein, southwestern Ayeyawady region in 2013 in a bid to promote national economy, a local media reported Thursday.
Two companies from Thailand, one each from China?s Hong Kong and Indonesia and Myanmar big companies -- Shwe Than Lwin Co.,Htoo Trading Co.and IGD will be involved in implementing the project named Myanmar Super Axis worth about 5.5 billion U.S. dollars, the 7-Day News said.
The project, covering an area of 3,037 hectares and including a deep sea-port, ecotourism and three industrial zones, represents the largest project in the region.
The project, which is expected to be completed by 2025, was granted by the Myanmar government.
Meanwhile, a special economic zone (SEZ) in Myawaddy, southeastern Kayin State, is also being planned with the cooperation of Thailand.
The economic zone also includes the Hpa-an industrial zone and more such zones will follow in Thingan Nyinaung in the same state as well as in Mon, Shan and Tanintharyi states and region."
Source/publisher:
Xinhua
Date of publication:
2012-01-19
Date of entry/update:
2012-09-22
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Other Special Economic Zones
Language:
English
more
Description:
Introduction
1. Dawei
2. Kyauk Phyu
3. Sittway
4. Thilawa
5. Monywa
6. Pakokku
7. Challenges of Connectivity
Conclusion....."Considering the cross-border transport infrastructure in East Asia, the location of Myanmar is crucial in connecting China, India and ASEAN countries. As a matter of fact, neighbouring countries have started infrastructure investment in Myanmar. Thailand is enthusiastic in developing deep sea ports and industrial complexes at Dawei, which will create a new alternative international trade route other than the present maritime route through the Malacca Strait. China has undertaken the deep sea port at Kyauk Phyu and the pipeline to Yunnan Province in order to build a logistic route to supply energy such as petroleum from Middle East and natural gas from the Shwe Gas Project near Kyauk Phyu. And China is also interested in investing in the port and industrial complex at Thilawa, a city located about 30 km from Yangon, and now it will appear as a special economic zone (SEZ). India has started to develop the port of Sittway in order to open a gateway from the northeastern part of India and link to a sea line through the Kaladan River and Sittway Port. The development of these port areas increases the connectivity among Thailand, India, China and Myanmar. In addition, the cities on the opposite shore of the Ayeyawady River, such as Monywa and Pakokku, have obtained a better possibility of being industrialized by constructing new bridges. On the other hand, the government of Myanmar has issued the Special Economic Zone Law and the Dawei Special Economic Zone Law. Similar laws for Thilawa and Kyauk Phyu would be enacted.
The purpose of this study is to make clear the government plan for regional
187
."
development in Myanmar, and examine the connectivity between the designated regions . "
and metropolises such as Yangon and Mandalay and the potential for industrial
development on the routes to metropolises.
In order to realize further industrialization and smooth logistics in the metropolitan area, it is necessary to point out the locations of industrial estates, ports and harbors, and airports. At the same time, the supply and demand of the infrastructure should be important. On the other hand, the development of roads and city planning has to accompany the growth of the region.
In order to identify these challenges, a field survey was conducted in some local cities and ports of Yangon in August 20 11, collecting various data on industrial estates, ports and harbors, airports, roads, railways and other development projects. 1 This chapter describes the situation of 4 local cities in Myanmar; Dawei, Kyauk Phyu, Monywa and Pakokku; and identifies their potential as emerging development nodes of new economic corridors in Myanmar as well as in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS)..."
Aung Min, Toshihiro Kudo
Source/publisher:
Emerging Economic Corridors in the Mekong Region, edited by Masami Ishida, BRC Research Report No.8, Bangkok Research Center, IDE-JETRO, Bangkok, Thailand.
Date of publication:
2012-00-00
Date of entry/update:
2012-09-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
"Three Japanese industrial and economic groups have reached an agreement with the Myanmar government to jointly establish a special economic zone (SEZ), Thilawa, in Yangon?s Thilawa Port, local media Voice reported Sunday.
Under the agreement, Japan?s Mitsuibishi Corporation, Marubeni Corporation and Sumitomo Corporation will obtain 49 percent of stake to run the 2,400-hectare Thilawa SEZ, while Myanmar entrepreneurs in the form of public company, will take 56 percent, Myanmar?s Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry was quoted as saying.
The Japanese side will provide financial assistance to the SEZ? s infrastructural development such as factories and workshops and one natural-gas-fired power plant, the report said.
In addition to foreign investors, Myanmar government has also invited domestic entrepreneurs to make investment in the project through share. However, the permitted amount of the investment and the duration of the project and other details have not been revealed, the report added..."
Source/publisher:
Myanmar Business Network
Date of publication:
2012-09-02
Date of entry/update:
2012-09-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Other Special Economic Zones
Language:
English
more
Description:
The Burmese junta is moving ahead with the Myawaddy special economic zone, which may or may not benefit the DKBA...
"The Burmese military regime has long talked about, but never implemented, a special economic zone (SEZ) near the Burma-Thailand border. But the junta?s cabinet recently approved the official creation of the SEZ, along with a plan to increase investment in the project.
This could result in a business boom for Col. Chit Thu and his Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) cronies who control the area surrounding the SEZ and have already established their own commercial empire on the border. But if the project is too successful, it could turn into a bust for Chit Thu, because the junta might want to keep control in the hands of its own generals..."
Alex Ellgee
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 18, No. 8
Date of publication:
2010-08-00
Date of entry/update:
2010-08-31
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more