Myanmar: Calls to Legalise Wildcat Oil-Well Operators

Jul 8, 2019 | Khin Su Wai, Myanmar Times
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There is a need to legalise the activities of the wildcat prospectors whose hand-dug oil wells dot the land in Magwe Region, in central Myanmar. These illegal activities are a source of corrupt practices and loss of revenue to the regional government. These wells, a source of income and jobs for many in the surrounding countryside despite the volatility of global oil prices, have also become a source for corrupt practices in recent years. Early last month, the Anti-Corruption Commission arrested a number of local-government officials and police officers from Pauk township alleged to have received bribes worth K90 million connected to these hand-dug wells.