Adanis' Myanmar port investment "not linked" with Australian coalmining project

Counterview Desk
In a rejoinder forwarded to Counterview, the Adani Group has said that its Myanmar investment in port “does not breach Australian, US, UN or other international sanctions.” Reacting to the story headlined “Adanis tieup with Myanmar army ‘involved’ in Rohingiya genocide: Aussie rights alarm”, quoting a “Guardian” report, the rejoinder said, “Adani rejects the insinuation that Myanmar investment is unethical or will compromise human rights”.
Citing Australian human rights activists, “The Guardian” had said, “The Indian conglomerate behind the controversial Carmichael coal project in north Queensland was granted permission in April to develop a container port in Yangon, on land owned by the Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC).” MEC is a Myanmar-linked company allegedly linked with armed forces. It has entered into an agreement with the Adani Group to develop Ahlone International Port Terminal 2.

The rejoinder says:

As with all its international investments, the Adani Group has been guided by the Securities and Exchange Board of India and other key international guidelines and will inform the concerned authorities when we firm up the agreements.
The land where the port is proposed to be built has been leased from Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) following extensive due diligence.
This matter does not relate to Adani Mining Pty Ltd or the Carmichael Project. Adani Mining Pty Ltd operates under Australian law and regulations.
Adani’s proposed investment in the Myanmar port is held through Singapore-based entities and follow the strict regulations of the Singapore government. Singapore has a Memorandum of Understanding in place with Myanmar to boost partnerships in transport and logistics including port planning.
It is important to note that many economic sanctions against Myanmar were lifted in recent years following political reforms within the country and the election of a civilian government. While some nations, including Australia, have arms embargos and travel restrictions on key members of the military in place, this does not preclude investment in the nation or business dealings with corporations such as MEC.
Adani Group company, the Adani Yangon International Terminal Co Ltd has received approval from the Myanmar Investment Commission for an investment in a new container port in the Yangon Region.
The Myanmar Investment Commission is an entity of the Myanmar government that is governed by senior ministers and public servants including representatives of the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Planning and Finance, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation.
The port terminal will be built under the auspices of the Myanmar Port Authority, the Myanmar Ministry of Transport and Communication. Details can be seen on the Commission’s website. The new container port will enable Myanmar to bring further efficiencies to the nation’s international trade by enabling cost-effective, high-volume imports and exports.
This will benefit Myanmar’s civil society by contributing to the nation’s economic development and create more than 1100 local jobs.
The Adani Group’s vision is to help build critical infrastructure for nations across key markets and help in propelling economic development and social impacts.
APSEZ (Adani Ports and SEZ) is the largest private port operator in India with established world-class ports located across the region.

Comments

Importance of Bangladesh for India amidst 'growing might' of China in South Asia

By Samara Ashrat* The basic key factor behind the geopolitical importance of Bangladesh is its geographical location. The country shares land borders with Myanmar and India. Due to its geographical position, Bangladesh is a natural link between South Asia and Southeast Asia. The country is also a vital geopolitical ally to India, in that it has the potential to facilitate greater integration between Northeast India and Mainland India. Not only that, due to its open access to the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh has become significant to both China and the US.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

'BBC film shows only tip of iceberg': Sanjiv Bhatt's daughter speaks at top US press club

By Our Representative The United States' premier journalists' organisation, the National Press Club (NPC), has come down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recent "attacks on journalists in India." Speaking at the screening of an episode of the BBC documentary “India: The Modi Question,” banned in India, in the club premises, NPC President Eileen O’Reilly said, “Since Modi came to power we have watched with frustration and disappointment as his regime has suppressed the rights of its citizens to a free and independent news media."

Chinese pressure? Left stateless, Rohingya crisis result of Myanmar citizenship law

By Dr Shakuntala Bhabani* A 22-member team of Myanmar immigration officials visited Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar to verify more than 400 Rohingya refugees as part of a pilot repatriation project. Does it hold out any hope for the forcibly displaced people to return to their ancestral homes in the Rakhine state of Myanmar? Only time will tell.

China ties up with India, Bangladesh to repatriate Rohingyas; Myanmar unwilling

By Harunur Rasid* We now have a new hope, thanks to news reports that were published in the Bangladeshi dailies recently. Myanmar has suddenly taken initiatives to repatriate Rohingyas. As part of this initiative, diplomats from eight countries posted in Yangon were flown to Rakhine last week. Among them were diplomats from Bangladesh, India and China.

Natural farming: Hamirpur leads the way to 'huge improvement' in nutrition, livelihood

By Bharat Dogra* Santosh is a dedicated farmer who along with his wife Chunni Devi worked very hard in recent months to convert a small patch of unproductive land into a lush green, multi-layer vegetable garden. This has ensured year-round supply of organically grown vegetables to his family as well as fetched several thousand rupees in cash sales.

Over-stressed? As Naveen Patnaik turns frail, Odisha 'moves closer' to leadership crisis

By Sudhansu R Das Not a single leader in Odisha is visible in the horizon who can replace Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. He has ruled Odisha for nearly two and half decades. His father, Biju Patnaik, had built Odisha; he was a daring pilot who saved the life of Indonesia’s Prime Minister Sjahrir and President Sukarno when the Dutch army blocked their exit.

Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Ban Ki-moon, others ask Bangladesh PM to 'protect' Yunus

Counterview Desk A campaign has been launched to support Bangladesh-based economist, micro-finance guru and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, seeking signatures from citizens across the globe in order to “protect” his work, life and safety.

Electricity sharing opens up new window for India’s eastern neighbourhood engagement

By Sufian Asif* Today, challenges like climate change, pandemics, energy reliance, economic crisis, and many more are concerning us. No nation can overcome these obstacles without the assistance and collaboration of other nations. Most importantly, many of these problems have international repercussions. South Asia is facing much more difficulty when compared to other regions. In South Asia, we have some regional organizations, but they are ineffective.

Search This Blog