Resource information
Conclusion: "The Thilawa SEZ project is not clearly described and important information is missing
throughout the EIA document. The public consultation process did not involve all relevant
stakeholders, including affected communities, and did not provide sufficient information
in any case. Consequently, the consultation process did not meet international standards
and did not meet relevant JICA Guidelines. Had JICA provided adequate and appropriate
support for the EIA according to its Guidelines, it could have assured that the project
proponents were accounted for and planned to mitigate the negative social impacts that
are and will continue to result from the project. Already there have been substantial
impacts to local communities in Phase I as a result of relocation, including inadequate
compensation resulting in impoverishment, lost access to land, and reduced or lost
livelihoods. Thus, there is a direct link between JICA’s non-compliance with its Guidelines
and the injuries suffered by the relocated communities.
Furthermore, the analysis contained in the EIA is inadequate. Without further information
on the industries that will operate in the SEZ, it is impossible to assess and account for
the environmental and social impacts. Cumulative impacts are also ignored, and there is
little clarity as to why certain sites were selected for traffic or air testing or why waste
management data from an industrial zone in another country was used as a substitute
for actual information at the Thilawa SEZ.
