The Kanbauk to Myaing Kalay gas pipeline burst near Lamine village, northern Ye Township, in the early morning of November 25th, say local sources, although the gas did not ignite.

At 5am on the 25th, a resident who lives near the pipeline said she heard a loud sound. The pipeline appears to have failed at the joint between two sections of pipe. According to area villagers who looked at the damage, a large crack is visible at the seam between the two pipe sections.

According to local sources, Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, which is responsible for operating the pipeline, shut down the flow of gas and repaired the crack by the end of the day. The next day, the flow of gas had resumed, although it is unclear how much gas escaped before the leak was repaired. Trains between Lamine and Ye were also canceled on the 25th because the tracks pass close to the pipeline.

According to the resident, her house would have been burned had the gas ignited. Other residents expressed fear at the pipeline explosion. “We are afraid because of explosions. When there is an explosion with fire, it is close our houses and we are afraid we will catch fire.”

The same pipeline exploded and ignited near Lamine in February 2003. In June, another explosion ignited a large fire near Moulmein.

The Kanbauk to Myaing Kalay pipeline is the second of two natural gas pipelines, which transport fuel from the Yadana gas fields to Thailand and to a cement factory in Myaing Kalay, Karen State. According to a report issued by the Human Rights Foundation of Monland in September, the pipelines have exploded at least fifteen times since the first was built in 1998.

Of these explosions, seven were substantial and six attributed to rebel activity by Burma’s military government. Residents of villages along the pipeline are frequently conscripted as unpaid forced laborers to maintain the pipeline. Area villagers are also forced to guard the pipeline from rebels and face violent retribution should an attack or explosion occur.