YANGON -- After a delay of nearly a year, Myanmar's outgoing military-controlled government has awarded Citic Group, China's largest state conglomerate, contracts to develop Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and a nearby deep sea port in Rakhine State close to Myanmar's border with India.
The impoverished and remote area has been blighted by serious sectarian strife in recent years. Parliament approved the development of Kyaukphyu SEZ at the end of December despite criticism of the tender process. The ruling military-linked Union Solidarity and Development Party is in its final weeks after being defeated in a general election in November by the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
