Kyauk Pru: South Korea's Daewoo, the company building seaport one in Kyaukpru in western Burma's Arakan State in an agreement with the Burmese regime, is set to complete construction on the port by May, 2011.

"The company is now building the main jetty after removing the old one from the port and is set to complete the construction by May this year," said a government official.

The company started construction on the port in September 2010, primarily for the use of vessels related to the Shwe Gas Project. It is now building an 80 meter long main jetty in place of the old one that was just 20 meters long.

The military authorities have been spreading news among local residents that the port will allow access by vessels for the general public as well.

However, a Kyaukpru resident speculated that the authorities' reports the port would be for public use is just propaganda aimed at quelling public anger over the project.

"We have no faith in what the authorities are saying. They are just spreading propaganda to contain public aggression over their projects that have already hurt the livelihoods of thousands of local residents The port that was abandoned for ages without renovation is now being rebuilt for their projects and their profits. I don't think public vessels will be allowed along with the vessels of the billion dollar gas project," said the resident.

The source also said that military authorities forced public shops around the port to move from the area prior to construction without proper compensation. The stall owners complained of the issue to higher authorities and local authorities have since relocated the stalls to the banks of the Ngalavi Creek with small compensation.

"There were nearly ten shops around the port before the forced evacuation by authorities. Now only a few owners can run their same stalls in the new relocation site and their business is not good like before," added the resident.