October 15: Dhaka: A protest against Daewoo over its involvement in the exploration and sale of natural gas from Burma to India was held in Dhaka yesterday morning by the Arakanese student organization, All Arakan Students and Youths Congress (AASYC) and the Arakan League for Democracy (exile).

The protest was held at Muktangan near the Dhaka Press Club. AASYC’s acting In Charge of Bangladesh Branch, Tun Maung Thein, says, “We started our gathering at 11 th is morning. There are about 60 attendants. Arakanese students and Bangladeshi students demanded Daewoo withdraw from the Shwe Gas project.”

The protest was arranged to be held in front of the South Korean Embassy, but because there has been an increased security presence there, the protest had to move to the nearby area of the Press Club.

Tun Maung Thein reiterates the aims of the Shwe Gas Movement, the platform of activists against the Shwe Gas pipeline in Western Burma, as such: “We demand the withdrawal unconditionally from Burma. Daewoo is trying to rob our natural resources from the people of Burma in cooperation with the Burmese junta. Daewoo does not care about the people who are suffering under the repression of the Burmese junta. This is not only illegal, it is even immoral. Its venture only promotes the detriment, not the development of Burma. Daewoo should do the right thing and pull itself out from Burma.”

Daewoo is part of the international consortium which is exploring and extracting natural gas from the off shore gas field named Shwe Block A, in Arakan. Daewoo’s share in the consortium is more than 60%.

“We will try to assert pressure on Daewoo internationally and peacefully now to get out of Burma. If it is not successful, we will have to find other ways to make them know”, says Tun Maung Thein.

It has been learned that a similar demonstration was held in front of South Korea embassy in Japan, the Netherlands, Britain and India. A number of Arakanese gas campaigners were also gathering in front of Daewoo headquarters in Seoul yesterday and demanding Daewoo to get out of Burma.