Ecuador's government has launched a plan to militarize the state oil installations, preventing theft of copper cables, intentional pipe destruction and oil robbery, officials from the country's state oil company Petroecuador said on Friday.

Statistics show that Petroecuador suffered material losses of over 40 million U.S. dollars from January to May due to attacks and robberies against its oil installations.

Under an inter-institutional agreement, the government will earmark some 12 million dollars a year for the militarization of state oil installations, including oil refineries, the officials said.

The militarization plan, which will pay special attention to oil installations in Ecuador's Amazon region, has been rejected by the provinces of Orellana and Guadalupe Llori because it threatens the right of farmers and the indigenous population.

Ecuador's President Rafael Correa justified the measure as an adequate response to the problem, although he said he did not believe in the militarization.

Correa said Petroecuador is robbed every day and some businesses even purchase the copper stolen from its oil installations.

The plan will be promoted by the Defense Ministry, Energy Ministry and Petroecuador, the officials said.

Source: Xinhua