Environmental Disaster

GAS PIPELINE EXPLODES

(Based on IMNA report and Kao Wao: October 18, 2003)

A section of gas pipeline exploded on October 17, 2003, near Kwan Hlar village of Mudon, Mon State in southern Burma.

The explosion which occurred in the midnight forced several villagers to flee their homes due to extremely loud noise and expansion of gas leak.

"It surprisingly exploded on the railway bridge west to Kwan Hlar at night. The villagers from both Kwan Hlar and Yang Dong run away from their homes to the east by feet and trucks" said an eye witness from the village.

The sources reported officials from local Abit artillery battalion of Burmese Army came to the site and inspected the explosion but no information had publicly released.

Karen, Mon and other opposition groups are active in the area, though the Mon made a ceasefire with junta in June 1995. No group had claimed responsibility for the blow up this time but the Karen National Union (KNU) occasionally attacked the junta's gas pipeline project in the past.

According to the source, it was not the first time such incident occurred. On February 17, 2003, eight months ago, a section of the pipe line was exploded near Lamine village in Ye township and on January 5, 2002, a gas pipeline near Chaktwe- Daymai in Mudon township exploded at one of its junction. Another section exploded on April 30, 2002 near Anin and Hntit-kayin of Ye razing a railway bridge.

The source reported villagers living along the Kanbauk-Myaingkalay gas pipeline also have to provide security as watch out and forced to cover it with soil to protect from sabotage attack by the armed groups.

"Since it has been built, the pipeline gave us many troubles. Our lands are confiscated and it even took lives because of the explosion in Ye township," said a villager from Mudon.

The Rangoon's Ministry of Construction built the pipeline in 2001 in cooperation with the Burma Army Southeast Military Command.

The 150 miles pipeline, which raises serious human rights and environmental concerns, runs across Mon State from northern Tenasserim Division to Karen State to supply a cement factory in Pa-an, Karen State.