Myanmar Deploys Hundreds Of Troops To Reclaim Areas Designated For Russia-Backed Dawei Deep-Sea Port Project

Myanmar’s military has sent hundreds of troops into the country’s south to clear areas designated for a Russia-backed special economic zone, with resistance fighters and a local activist saying villages have been burned and surrounding land sealed off.

The operation is centred around the Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the southern Tanintharyi Region, which includes plans for a deep-sea port and power plant on the Andaman Sea.

The offensive is the clearest sign yet that Myanmar’s military-backed government is prepared to use force to regain control of land for the project, which it hopes to revive as a trade route alternative to the Strait of Malacca.

Myanmar seeks Russian support for the long-delayed project. President Min Aung Hlaing promoted Dawei as a possible gateway to South and West Asia during a visit to Thailand this month and discussed the project again this week during talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Since July, hundreds of soldiers have been deployed to Tanintharyi, which borders Thailand and is home to Dawei. The deployment has led to fighting with local resistance groups, which have been forced to retreat, according to two sources.

A second resistance fighter from the Dawei District No.1 battalion, which operates under the shadow National Unity Government, said troops had burned houses in at least three villages and killed three aid workers who were helping displaced communities.

The three aid workers were detained and killed after they encountered an advancing military column in Yebyu Township on July 9, according to local civil society group MAGGA Initiative.

Frequent Skirmishes 

The military operation intensified after armed forces deputy chief Kyaw Swar Lin visited southern Myanmar in late June and called on soldiers to protect “strategic projects” such as Dawei.

A military column of around 700 soldiers has since moved into the surrounding areas, raiding villages and killing civilians, conflict monitor ACLED said in an August report.

The operation around the Dawei SEZ has also involved air and naval attacks, putting pressure on loosely organised local resistance groups, according to Saw Dah Ko and a local activist.

The Dawei operation is part of an effort by Myanmar’s military to regain strategic areas and border zones it lost to opposition groups following the 2021 coup. The conflict that followed has killed about 100,000 people and displaced more than 3.5 million.

The military held a widely criticised election in December and January, with no substantial opposition allowed to run, clearing the way for Min Aung Hlaing to become president.

Alternative To The Strait Of Malacca

The Dawei project was launched in 2008 as a joint venture with Thailand. It was designed to improve trade links between Southeast Asia and West and East Asia and includes plans for a deep-sea port and power plant.

However, work on the Dawei SEZ stopped in 2013 because of local opposition and funding shortages.

In January 2021, weeks before the military coup, the committee overseeing the project said it was terminating agreements signed in 2015 and 2016 for nine projects in the initial construction phase.

Myanmar’s government is now looking to restart the project with support from Russia, a key ally of Min Aung Hlaing and the military.

At a business forum in Moscow on Wednesday, Tanintharyi Region Chief Minister Zaw Naing Oo said the project could allow cargo to move four to six days faster than routes passing through the Strait of Malacca.

State media also reported that the planned port would be located about 45 km (28 miles) from Myanmar’s major offshore gas fields.

Russian companies plan to work with the Dawei SEZ to expand trade and create jobs, including in small and medium-sized businesses, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said this week during a meeting with Min Aung Hlaing.

The project could give Russia greater access to Southeast Asian markets and a port presence in the Indian Ocean region.

References: Reuters, internazionale