MYAING, Myanmar – Myanmar’s small-scale oil prospectors are under fire from all sides as rebels and the military battle to capture a cottage industry increasingly lucrative amidst the Middle East energy shock.
“As long as we work here, bad luck can kill us,” said Htun Aung, a worker on an artisanal oil well in Myanmar’s arid heartlands.
“But if the reality of death is hard to face, then making a living is even harder,” said the 52-year-old, speaking under a pseudonym for security reasons.
Myanmar imports 90% of its fuel oil, official figures show, making it particularly vulnerable to supply issues caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran.
But the central region of Magway hosts a hardscrabble industry of domestic prospectors manning grimy derricks that squelch up crude oil in humble quantities.
The area is dubbed “Anyar Dubai”, associating the Anyar landscape with the oil boom Emirate, despite the pitiable US$50 (S$64) per week earned by workers like Htun Aung who spend their days drenched in foul crude run-off.
With prices at Myanmar’s petrol pumps nearly double what they were in late February, the underground “black gold” is an increasingly coveted prize of war.
“We just want to live in peace,” said Htun Aung.
