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Ground Surveys Begin For Railway To China

Ground Surveys Begin For Railway To China

Surveying work has started in preparation for the railway that will link the Kyaukpyu township in Burma’s Arakan state (also known as Rakhine state) through the Shan state of Muse and into China, according to a report from the Ministry of Rail Transport released Monday.

The ministry’s report indicates that international standards will be followed in completing the project and that the process will be completely transparent. Little detail is provided, however.

The report also says that significant historical and religious buildings are located along the route that stretches nearly 600 miles.

The project was the idea of a military junta no longer in power. The agreement for the rail project was signed as part of a larger effort to create a rail line that connects Kyaukpyu with Kunming, China. The portion of the project in Burma would then be extended as an additional part of the overall project to Kunming in the Yunnan province of China.

The route of the railway runs parallel to the contentious Shwe Gas Project that sends natural gas from off the coast of the Arakan state to China. While the Arakan state is rich in natural resources including natural gas, only a quarter of the state’s household have electric power.

The Shwe Gas Project pipeline has been strongly resisted by some in Burma, who consider it a potential breach of national security and an effort to turn over the sovereignty of the Arakan state to Chinese leaders. Civic groups in Arakan have called for a stop to the exploitation of resources in the state as well as an end to the railway project. The activists and others insists that the railway will also be used to ship resources to China from the struggling state.

Protests are possible, according to Tun Kyi of the Gas Pipelines Watch Group. The organization said citizens have not been informed of how the railway will be built or what will be done with it.

Meanwhile, the Kyaukpyu Special Economic Zone project, which will have connections to the Kyaukpyu-Kunming railway, is getting ready to accept bids from international bidders.

Than Htay, Union Minister for Rail Transport, said the wishes of the people will not be ignored in building the pipeline.

A Memorandum of Understanding signed by the out-of-power junta indicates that China will fund the building of the railroad. It will be built under a system called BOT — or build-operate-transfer. The idea is that the railroad will be transferred to the Burmese government after 50 years in operation.

Chinese officials are also working to arrange a motorway that will run alongside the railroad. A feasibility study has been done, but negotiations for the roadway are not yet complete, according to governmental sources.

The Memorandum of Understanding for the railway was signed in April 2011. The cost is estimated at about $20 billion. The deal was overseen by officials who are no longer in their positions. According to an unnamed official in the Burmese government, the memo was supposed to lead to a finalized project within three years, but China has not signed the agreement.

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aHR0cDovL3d3dy5yYW1yZWUuY29tL3dwLWNvbnRlbnQvd29vX3VwbG9hZHMvMy1sb2dvLnBuZyI7fTwvbGk+PGxpPjxzdHJvbmc+d29vX3ZpZGVvX2NhdGVnb3J5PC9zdHJvbmc+IC0gVmlkZW9zPC9saT48L3VsPg==