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Local villagers protest against companies

HURFOM: On August 4, 2016 in Ohn Bin Kwin village,Yebyu Township, Dawei District, local villagers came together and protested against companies for not repairing a bridge which has been broken.

The bridge is situated on a stretch of road that companies use daily to get to work. The bridge was broken on July 12, 2016. The companies that the villagers aretargeting are called: TOTAL, PETRONAS, and PTTEP.
The bridge is situated between Ohn Bin Kwin and Pa Ra villages in KanBauk region just in front of TOTAL Company.

French company TOTAL, Malaysian company PETRONAS, and Thai company PTTEP, came to Ohn Bin Kwin village in 1995/96. They began operating in 1996. The companies first claimed they would develop the region and fulfill the needs of the local people.

More than 200 villagers from Ohn Bin Kwinbegan protesting at 7:30am, throughout the day more people joined and eventuallyaround 400 villagers attended.

Ko Min Min from the village stated, “Thebridgewas broken the flood. We contacted TOTAL Companybecause it was built by them but they have said it has nothing to do with them. They claimed they have handedthe problemover to the government. However, we know they have not. They just don’t want to repair it. We, villagers, havegathered and spoke to the administration office. The administration office have said they [company] have not hand the case overto the government yet”.
Another villager explains, “we are protesting not only the bridge issue. In fact, we are also protesting that they have done little for regional development here. When they first came to operate, they said they came to develop the region. When they needed employees, they didn’t hire local villagers,they only recruited people who are connected to them”.

According to another villager, the government has said that they will repair the bridge. After the bridge broke, the company started using the road in the village. Ohn Bin Kwin village administrator, U TheinLwin, told HURFOM, from July 24 villager have not allowed the company to use the road.

 

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