Local residents in Tamu district, Sagaing Region are concerned about oil exploration in their area by Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) under Ministry of Electricity and Energy and Indian Company, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC).
The exploration is being conducted using seismic technology in the farmlands of local residents including the use of dynamite, local people are worried their farmlands could be damaged.
Ram Kho Haung from Naungkup new village, Tamu Township, told Mizzima, “They didn’t say anything when they came to us. Then I found out that they were drilling a hole in my farmland. I asked them if the work would damage my farmland, they said no. They didn’t put anything in this hole first. And then they inserted a hollow pipe and put dynamite in it. This exploration work is in the area where we made new farmland. We have nothing except this new farmland. Our livelihood and our food depend on the paddy grown there. We don’t want any compensation from them. We want to work on this land for many years.”
An official from MOGE said that the oil exploration works and seismic works were being conducted in townships in Sagaing Region namely Mahamyaing, Mawlaik, Panthar, Lawthar, Pinlebu, Paungbyin, Banmauk, Tamu and Homalin.
The ONGC hired Chinese Company SINOPEC to conduct seismic work and local people will receive compensation if their farmlands are damaged by the seismic work.