The Myanmar military intensified its bombing campaign on Rakhine State’s Ramree Island this week, carrying out harder strikes, more frequent attacks near Kyaukphyu, the site of multibillion-dollar development projects with heavy foreign investment.
Kyaukphyu, located at the northernmost point of Ramree Island on Rakhine State’s Bay of Bengal coast, is the starting point of pipelines that transport natural gas from offshore fields to refineries in China.
It is also the centre of the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ), an area designated for a major commercial development project ultimately intended to include ports, bridges, and roads for carrying imported goods inland.
The Kyaukphyu SEZ is a joint venture in which the Chinese state-owned conglomerate China International Trust and Investment Corporation (CITIC) Group owns a 70 percent stake.
