Offshore fishing teams in Rakhine State are facing a crisis due to the construction of lighthouses for oil tankers along the Thanzeik River in Kyaukphyu Township, according to the fish dealers. Over 40 lighthouses from the mouth of the Thanzeik to Maday Island were built in 2013. But they don’t light up. It is dangerous for emergency vessels and private boats. There are collisions. Fishermen lose their nets at the lighthouses, said Hla Myint Tun from Paing Chaung village in Kyaukphyu Township. Crude oil is exported from Maday to China and the lighthouses were Chinese-funded, residents said. Promises of funding for development projects did not materialise, protesters claim. “The lighthouses are pointless because all the boats use a GPS, said a villager.
2017, Eleven Myanmar