KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Dialog Group announced that it has inked a new deal with Halliburton International for $1.2 billion to boost oil output in East Malaysia. The deal has sparked anger among activists in Sarawak, where the oil field is located, who told Bikyamasr.com on Tuesday via telephone that they question the deal after numerous reports of rights violations by the American company have come to light in recent years. “We know what they have done in Iraq and are concerned that they do not care about the rights and people in the countries they work in, so it is worrying,” said one activist. The agreement aims to boost recoverable reserves in the Bayan Field, located offshore Sarawak, as Malaysia tries to boost flagging production from its existing oil fields. “This is in line with Dialog's strategy to continue developing its upstream capabilities, which include the rejuvenation and re-development of mature oil fields,” Dialog said in an announcement to the Malaysian stock exchange. Dialog's unit Dialog D&P Sdn Bhd and Halliburton's Asia Energy Services Sdn Bhd would hold an equal interest in Halliburton Bayan Petroleum under the agreement running for a term of 24 years, the statement said. Dialog and Halliburton signed a memorandum of understanding in June to jointly pursue business opportunities in Malaysia. HBP has tied up with Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd, the exploration and production arm of state-owned Petroliam Nasional, to boost reserves in the Bayan Field.
