Hello. This connection is an intersting thought indeed. After a fast search on the net though, I could not find any news about a MAJOR newly discovered field in Myanmar. The country IS very rich in resources though and appears to be very attractive to energy companies. But what was also interesting is what i found in the Human Rights Watch (HRW) website:
link that there are already 27 companies from 13 countries that exploit the country's oil fields. The military goverment earned $2.16 billion dollars in 2006 only from natural gas. And HRW also reports that under the current contract policy, "foreign companies spend money up front to explore for and produce petroleum, but Burma’s military gets a cut of the sale of oil and gas produced from these fields once initial costs are recovered". So this $2.16 billion is only the cut they got from these investements that ALREADY had paid for the cost... So, how much money (BILLIONS) these companies make out of Maynmar's misery? I would assume A LOT. But how do they feel about supporting the junta with fresh cash?
Here are statements of companies that are actively involved in Maynmar (source HRW):
CHEVRON
"As a number of academics and organizations have stated recently, attempts to isolate Myanmar further is likely to be counterproductive." [counterproductive to whom?]
"Constructive engagement, together with development programs and support, will ultimately contribute to peace and prosperity for the people of Myanmar." [yeah, sure...]
“It isn’t going to change anything if we leave. We are a minority investor in this project. […] If we leave or are forced to leave somebody else will step into our shoes and the gas will continue to flow.”
CNOOC
Yang Hua, Cnooc’s chief financial officer, said Cnooc’s presence in Myanmar is “making people's lives better” by developing resources that would otherwise go untapped. He also pointed to simple commercial reasons to stay. “If we pull out, then we can't successfully invest our money in terms of exploration success,” Mr. Yang said in an interview.
DAEWOO
"We have gas fields under production and three other fields under exploration, which are all long-time investments. They can't be easily changed because of domestic issues," said Cho Sang-hyun, spokesman for Daewoo International. "Politics is politics. Economics is economics." [...and corporations are corporations, and phychopaths are phychopaths]
NIPPON OIL
In Tokyo, Nippon Oil said there would be no change in its Burma operations following the crackdown on demonstrations. “We see the political situation and energy business as separate matters,” a company spokesman said.
PTTEP
“It is business as usual,” said Sidhichai Jayamt, the company’s manager for external relations. “When we have a contract with the government, it doesn't really matter who the government is.”
TOTAL
"To those who ask us to leave the country, we reply that far from solving Myanmar's problems, a forced withdrawal would only lead to our replacement by other operators probably less committed to the ethical principles guiding all our initiatives. Our departure could cause the population even greater hardship and is thus an unacceptable risk."
Also, Jean François Lassalle, Total’s director of external relations for exploration and production, stated that “it is difficult to condemn the ongoing repression because Total is not a moral or political authority. Simply put, we hope that solutions that comply with human rights will be found, that discussions and negotiations” will be held so that “no violence will occur,” said Lassalle...
So, whether the recent cyclone is linked to the Powers To Be or not, the fact is that people in Burma are feeling the cold iron grip of the phychopaths and their corporations...
