Japan Urged To End Cooperation For Bridge Construction Worth IDR 4.6 Trillion With The Myanmar Military Regime

JICA's bridge construction project in Yangon, Myanmar, (Twitter / @ jica_direct_en)

JAKARTA - Japan's foreign development agency has been urged to cut ties with the Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC), a conglomerate belonging to the Myanmar military.

The pressure comes along with the continued increase in the death toll of anti-coup military protesters, as well as the sanctions imposed by the United States against the MEC.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is collaborating with MEC on a project worth USD 323 million, or around IDR 4.656.125.750.000, to build a new bridge linking central Yangon to the southeastern city of Thanlyin.

The project was agreed upon in early 2019 and is scheduled for completion in 2023. This project is mostly funded by JICA through a low-interest loan scheme with annual installments. In addition, Myanmar also contributed USD 40.6 million to this project.

The 1.928-foot Yangon-Thanlyin Bridge will cross the Bago River, reducing traffic congestion and speeding up the flow of goods between the city center and the Thilawa Special Economic Zone, another Japanese-backed project.

"Japanese company Yokogawa is working with an MEC subsidiary called Myaung Daga No. 2 Steel Mill, producing steel frames for the bridge", an engineer involved with the project told Myanmar Now.

He said that although the United States and Britain had announced sanctions against companies linked to the Myanmar military, there was no sign that Japan would abandon the project.

"They communicate directly with MEC. It doesn't matter until the end of January. But I want to inform the general public, JICA is still communicating with MEC. They have condemned the coup diplomatically, but they are still working with the MEC junta", he explained.

It is known that the Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has expressed great concern over the Myanmar coup, calling for Myanmar Leader Aung San Suu Kyi to be released immediately.

Last year, activists urged Japanese companies to abandon a luxury hotel project in Yangon, allegedly to enrich Myanmar's military. Meanwhile last month, Japanese beer giant Kirin announced it had cut ties with a military-owned brewery in Myanmar.

Regarding the Myanmar Coup. VOI editorial team continues to monitor the political situation in one of the ASEAN member countries. Casualties from civilians continue to fall. Readers can follow the news surrounding the Myanmar military coup by tapping on this link.