No compensation for the houses burned down by gas-pipeline explosion

Independent Mon News Agency

September 23, 2004 (Upper Mon State)

Five family lives in Tha-mar-saing villages which on the road between Thaton and Beelin towns in Mon State have to makeshifts after their houses were destroyed by the gas-pipeline explosion and no compensation paid by the military regime SPDC.

“The houses belonged to five families in the village were seriously burnt on September 17, 2004 night at about 10:00 p.m,” said the villagers.

“The explosion threw huge fire which is higher than a tree and burnt five houses and a truck nearby,” according to a Tha-mar-saing villager. According to IMNA source said no people wounded in the incident.

Although the government authorities repaired gas-pipeline, they supported nothing to house owners to re-build their houses and they were totally ignored, according to Tha-mar-saing villagers.

“No one knows the reason of the gas explosion,” according to IMNA source.

The gas pipeline transmitted gas to Myaingkalay village in Karen State, where an cement factory is operating from Rangoon. The gas-pipeline is built along the motor road and it crossed into some villages.

According to villagers told IMNA source, the loud explosion frightened the villagers and it is the first time the gas exploded in the area, northern part of Mon State.

The last time gas explosion in southern Mon state happened in Mudon Township’s Kwan-hlar village on October 17, 2003 and the explosion destroyed some paddy farms. It frightened the villagers to suddenly move from the village at midnight.

Due to lack of skills by the Burmese engineers during the construction of the pipeline, the gas has regularly spilled in the junctions of the pipeline and then blew up seriously and loudly.

On February 8, 2003, the explosion occurred in northern part of Ye Township in Mon State and the Mon villagers in a village, Lamine, were affected by the bad gas smell.

This gas pipeline passes through villages, paddy farmlands and fruit and rubber plantations in Mon State. It seem too dangerous to local people gas poison and it explosion.  

The military regime, State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), in Burma constructed this pipeline in early 2000 with a main purpose to provide gas for a cement factory in Myaingkalay in Pa-an Township of Karen State.   The regime also brings gas from the multinational gas companies, Total (France) and UNOCAL (United States) exploited ‘Yatana’ gas field in Andaman Sea of Burma.

During the gas pipeline construction, the regime authorities confiscated civilians’ farmlands, house gardens and orchid plantations along the route, and the Mon civilians were forced to move.   

After the construction, the continual conscription of forced labour has occurred along the pipeline to guard the pipeline, to fence around the pipeline, and to refill earth on the exposed pipe route. 

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