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THREAD The proposal for a New Daru city in PNG looks similar to other Chinese funded SEZs in Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia that are being built with extraordinary speed.
2. Visiting the Boten SEZ in northern Laos is a confronting experience. Land clearing is well-advanced for what will be a completely Chinese-controlled city of 300,000 within Laos territory. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-10/28/c_138510459.htm
3. The Golden Triangle SEZ is also growing rapidly beyond its casino origins. Here is a video of what the developer is planning: https://v.qq.com/x/page/d0505nfkg0z.html
4. Few Laos people are currently employed in these SEZs and many thousands have lost the land which they previously farmed. https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=24417&LangID=E
5. Shwe Koko SEZ in eastern Myanmar was meant to be a 25.5 acre luxury housing development. In early 2019, the developer Yatai released a booklet entitled “The Provisional Rules of the Myanmar Yatai Swe Koke Ko Special Economic Zone”, stating the project would cover 117 sq km.
6. A Thai-language report has painted a dramatic picture of 1 million Chinese living in the new city by 2027 that would house factories manufacturing goods for export. These goods would be transported 160km to Mawlamine port where China is also investing. https://news.thaipbs.or.th/content/288189#:~:text=%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%A1%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%94-%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%B5-,%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B9%E0%B8%9B%E0%B8%82%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A7%20:%20%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%88%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%A3%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%87%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B7%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%87,%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A2%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%99%E0%B9%84%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%A2%20%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%A1%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%94-%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%B5&text=%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%88%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B8%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%A3%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%87%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B7%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%87,%E0%B8%A5%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A1%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A2%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%99
7. This is the way the project is being advertised in China: https://v.qq.com/x/page/e0862pxuc6l.html
8. Yatai has subsequently employed as many as 1000 Chinese workers as security personnel, including former PLA soldiers from Yunnan.
9. Although the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar has denied any connection with the project, the Yatai CEO of the project She Lunkai has many connections both with the Chinese state through UFWG-affiliated organisations. https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/the-mystery-man-behind-the-shwe-kokko-project/
10. She Lunkai is also associated with an SEZ in Cambodia in Dara Sakor in a place called Long Bay. Although ostensibly a resort, the scale of the project is immense and includes international-sized runways. https://thediplomat.com/2020/10/cambodia-china-and-the-dara-sakor-problem/
11. These SEZs have developed rapidly and are built in close proximity to infrastructure. Many would support China's goals of access to the sea. The potential for dual-use cannot be ruled out. END
