Cambodian villagers protest controversial Laos dam

Click on the link to get more news and video from original source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/29/cambodia-laos-idUSL3E8HT26U20120629

By Prak Chan Thul

PHNOM PENH, June 29 | Fri Jun 29, 2012 5:11am EDT

(Reuters) – Cambodian villagers demonstrated on Friday against a controversial Lao hydropower dam that activists say is being built in defiance of an agreement to assess its potentially damaging impact on millions of people first.

About 200 villagers whose livelihoods depend on the Mekong River urged a halt to the Thai-led construction of the $3.5 billion Xayaburi dam, which has angered Cambodia’s government and triggered a rare rebuke by Laos’s biggest ally, Vietnam.

“This dam won’t just affect the people in our country but will also affect many parts of Laos,” said Buddhist monk So Pra, organiser of the protest in Kompong Cham province, 124 km (77 miles) from the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.

The Xayaburi dam is one of dozens planned as part of Laos’s aggressive push to boost its tiny $7.5 billion economy and become the “battery of Southeast Asia” by exporting the vast majority of its power.

Foreign governments are concerned Laos is prioritising its growth ambitions over ecological and environmental protection.

Under pressure from neighbours that felt its environmental impact study was inadequate, Laos agreed in December to suspend the project pending an assessment by foreign experts. Four countries share the lower stretches of the 4,900 km (3,044 mile) Mekong — Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Environmental group International Rivers released a report this week saying it had witnessed Ch Karnchang Pcl, Thailand’s second-biggest construction firm, resettling villagers, beefing up labour, building a large retaining wall and undertaking dredging to deepen and widen the riverbed.

“So far, Ch Karnchang claims that they are only going forward with ‘preliminary construction’ on the project,” said Kirk Herbertson, Mekong Campaigner for International Rivers.

“Ripping up the riverbed and resettling entire villages cannot be considered a preliminary activity.”

Te Navuth, secretary general of the Cambodia National Mekong River Commission, said Laos had violated a 1995 agreement requiring prior consultation before starting any development on the Mekong.

“Laos always said that it’s just preparatory work,” he said, adding Cambodia and Vietnam would jointly demand a halt.

Thailand could also be affected but, although small protests have taken place there, the government has been reluctant to oppose the project.

Ch Karnchang has a 57 percent share in the Xayaburi, which Thai banks are helping to finance. State-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) will buy electricity generated by the plant.

(Editing by Martin Petty)

Ch. Karnchang Plows Forward with Xayaburi Dam Construction

Click on the link to get more news and video from original source:  http://www.internationalrivers.org/resources/ch-karnchang-plows-forward-with-xayaburi-dam-construction-7539

Date: Tuesday, June 26, 2012

For Immediate Release

Bangkok, Thailand – A recent investigation of the Xayaburi Dam site by International Rivers revealed that Thai company Ch. Karnchang has already undertaken significant resettlement and construction activities, contrary to claims that only preliminary work is underway.

Despite Ch. Karnchang’s recent statements that it will comply with the Lao government’s commitment to postpone construction until there is regional agreement, International Rivers found construction activities underway during a visit last week to the dam site and 15 affected villages. Recent activities include dredging to deepen and widen the riverbed at the dam site, the construction of a large concrete retaining wall, and an increase in the company’s local labor force. One village, Houay Souy, was already resettled from the dam’s planned spillway to near Xayaboury town in January 2012.

Ame Trandem, Southeast Asia Program Director for International Rivers, said, “By proceeding with resettlement and construction on the Xayaburi Dam, Ch. Karnchang has blatantly defied the diplomatic process underway to decide on the future of the Mekong River. The company has violated the trust of the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, with apparent impunity.”

On June 2, Mr. Aswin Kongsiri, Chairperson of the Ch. Karnchang Board of Directors told the Bangkok Post that “the Lao government will ultimately make the final decision on whether the project will go ahead, but we want to wait for all stakeholders in the Greater Mekong Subregion to agree with it.” Mr. Aswin indicated that the company had not yet started construction, stating “we have thus focused on project preparation, mainly financing and the environmental impact report.”  These claims came weeks after the Lao government publicly announced that dam construction had been postponed and only “preliminary construction” such as building access roads had taken place.

“So far, Ch Karnchang claims that they are only going forward with ‘preliminary construction’ on the project, but the definition of ‘preliminary’ keeps expanding,” said Kirk Herbertson, Mekong Campaigner for International Rivers. “Ripping up the riverbed and resettling entire villages cannot be considered a preliminary activity.”

Interviews with resettled families from Houay Souy revealed a series of broken promises made by Ch. Karnchang. Resettled households have yet to receive new agricultural land and have been required to spend much of their own compensation money to finish building the houses that were provided to them. Ch. Karnchang also reneged on a promise to provide one year of free electricity and water. Instead villagers were provided only one month free. The company has informed other villages that they will be moved as soon as December 2012, but said they will not compensate the villagers for the loss of fisheries, access to agricultural land, gold panning, and other major sources of food and income, in violation of Lao law.

Teerapong Pomun, Director of Thai NGO Living River Siam, who joined the trip to the dam site, said, “Even at this early stage, the Xayaburi Dam is causing harm to local people and the environment. Ch. Karnchang needs to be held accountable for its irresponsible and illegal behavior. It’s only a matter of time before the damage to the river’s ecosystem and fisheries begins to impact downstream countries like Thailand, something the company has failed to even take into account.”

On June 28-29, the governments of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) will meet with development partners in Vientiane, Laos for the MRC’s Informal Donor Meeting 2012. The issue of the Mekong mainstream dams is expected to be on the agenda.

“Ch. Karnchang’s ongoing construction activities are creating conflict among the Mekong countries,” said Mr. Herbertson. “No construction should be allowed that places future cooperation along the Mekong River in jeopardy. It’s time for the Thai and Lao governments to hold firm to their commitments and require Ch. Karnchang to respect the diplomatic process.”

In addition to Ch. Karnchang’s role, Thailand has close links to the Xayaburi Dam. The project is being financed by Thai commercial banks. An estimated 95% of the dam’s electricity would be sold to Thailand. In July, communities from eight Thai provinces along the Mekong River are expected to bring a lawsuit against the Thai government for signing an agreement to purchase the dam’s electricity in violation of their constitutional rights.

Media contacts:

• Ms. Ame Trandem, Southeast Asia Program Director, International Rivers: +66 868822426, ame@internationalrivers.org
• Mr. Kirk Herbertson, Mekong Campaigner, International Rivers: +66 867863182, kirk@internationalrivers.org
• Mr. Terrapong Pomun, Director, Living River Siam: + 66 814477969, aaa@livingriversiam.org

More information:

• View photos of construction at the Xayaburi Dam site
• View the Xayaburi Dam Media Kit

Related Information

• Xayaburi Dam
• Mekong Mainstream Dams

Save the Mekong Press Release: As Mekong Leaders Gather, Public Awaits Answers on Xayaburi Dam

Save the Mekong Press Release: For Immediate Release

As Mekong Leaders Gather, Public Awaits Answers on Xayaburi Dam

1 May 2012

Phuket, Thailand –As the Mekong River Commission (MRC) member countries gather today for the MRC’s Mekong 2 Rio International Conference on Transboundary River Basin Management,  the Save the Mekong coalition has called upon regional governments to immediately address the ambiguities that have been left unanswered with respect to the future of the Xayaburi Dam and other mainstream dams.

On April 20th, the Save the Mekong coalition sent letters to the MRC’s respective Council members and CEO Mr. Hans Guttman asking for clarification on whether the prior consultation process for the Xayaburi Dam remains open and whether approval has been granted to build the Xayaburi Dam.  These concerns follow the April 17th announcement by Xayaburi Dam developer Ch. Karnchang that it had signed a $711 million construction contract with the Xayaburi Power Company, and that construction on the dam commenced on March 15, 2012.

“Ch. Karnchang has no right to build this project because no regional agreement has been made,” said Niwat Roykaew, Chair of the Chiang Khong Conservation Group in Thailand. “In December, the four governments agreed to postpone the decision on the dam, in order to carry out a transboundary impact assessment of the Mekong mainstream dams.  Thailand and Laos must act decisively and demand a stop to all construction activities.”

The Save the Mekong coalition also expressed concern over reports that the Thai government had signed the Xayaburi Dam’s power purchase agreement and granted permission for state-owned Krung Thai Bank to fund this dam, which appears to be in direct violation with the 1995 Mekong Agreement.  The coalition urged Thailand to immediately withdraw all involvement in the dam.

“The MRC’s prior consultation process is not finished, and yet construction is starting. Thailand and Laos are endangering the entire future of the Mekong River Basin,” said Pianporn Deetes, Thailand Campaign Coordinator for International Rivers. “Before regional cooperation becomes jeopardized, it’s time the four countries renew their commitment to work together to protect the Mekong.”

“The Xayaburi Dam is not on the agenda of the Mekong2Rio conference, but will be the elephant in the room,” said Youra Sun, Executive Director of My Village in Cambodia. “Now is the time to spotlight the urgent need for the Mekong governments to chart a clear political path forward on the Xayaburi Dam.”

Tu Dao Trong, a representative of Vietnam Rivers Network said, “If the Mekong governments really want to discuss the future of transboundary cooperation around the Mekong River, they first need to agree on an immediate halt to the Xayaburi Dam while further studies are underway. We hope this conference becomes an opportunity for real dialogue.”

The Save the Mekong coalition’s April 20th letter stated that “scientific evidence to date overwhelmingly supports our position that these dams will cause significant and irreparable damage to the Mekong River and the people who depend on it.” The coalition has called upon regional governments to work together to protect the Mekong River as the river is central to the lives, ecology, and cultures of the region.

The Save the Mekong coalition fully supports the actions of Thai villagers from the Mekong region, who have traveled to Phuket and will be presenting a petition to the MRC member governments this morning to raise awareness about the Xayaburi Dam and call for its cancellation.

Mekong 2 Rio is considered a key regional event in the run-up to the United Nations’ Rio+20 Summit on Sustainable Development that world leaders will attend in Brazil in June. The Xayaburi Dam has become one of the most controversial sustainable development issues in Southeast Asia.

Contacts:

• Dr. Tu Dao Trong, Representative of Vietnam Rivers Network. T: +84 913 236 542, E: tudaotrong49@yahoo.com.vn
• Ms. Pianporn Deetes, Thailand Campaign Coordinator, International Rivers. T: +66 81 422 0111, E: pai@internationalrivers.org
• Mr. Niwat Roykaew, Chair of the Chiang Khong Conservation Group in Thailand. T: +66 89 955 7890, E: mekonglover@hotmail.com
• Mr. Sun Youra, Executive Director, My Village, Cambodia, T: +855 16 590 111, E: myvillage@mvicambodia.org

For more information:
Read the Save the Mekong letters sent to the MRC Council Members and CEO

Click on the link to get more news and video from original source:  http://www.internationalrivers.org/

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Protestors Condemn Ch. Karnchang Over Xayaburi Dam Construction

Thai villagers gather ouside Ch. Karnchang Headquarters to protest construction of the Xayaburi Dam

The Mekong River sustains the lives of millions of people living in the region

Anti-Dam Protests Target Builder, Lenders

Click on the link to get more news and video from original source:  http://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/protests-04242012161824.html

2012-04-24

Activists demand that a Thai company cease construction of the dam.

Activists protest the construction of the Xayaburi Dam in front of the Lao Embassy in Bangkok, April 18, 2011.

More than 60 representatives of communities along the Mekong River gathered in Bangkok Tuesday to protest construction of the controversial Xayaburi Dam on the Mekong River in Laos, despite international criticism.

A Thai construction company signed an agreement last week for pushing ahead with the construction of the dam in northern Laos in defiance of a ruling by the Mekong River Commission (MRC), an inter-governmental body that manages development along the regional artery.

According to the December ruling, the dam project should be delayed until a comprehensive environmental impact study can more properly identify potential risks.

Four Laotians took part in the protests in the Thai capital against Ch. Karnchang, the Thai company tasked with building the U.S. $3.8 billion dam, and a group of Thai banks lending the firm funds to proceed with construction.

The 1,260-megawatt dam would provide 95 percent of its electricity to Thailand.

“[Dam opponents] had blocked the project once before, but now [the Lao government and the Thai company] are restarting it,” one of the Laotians told RFA.

“If the dam is built, the local people will not be able to grow vegetables on the bank of the Mekong anymore. This will destroy their economy.”
Ch. Karnchang revealed last week that construction of the project in Laos would be stepped up from March 15. It said it expects to finish the project in eight years.

Targeting lenders

A representative of the Chaing Rai Lower Mekong People’s Network said protesters planned to present Ch. Karnchang’s lenders with a letter asking them to stop funding the project.

“When we were here last time, we submitted a letter asking Ch. Karnchang to stop the project, but they wouldn’t,” he said.

“Now we are going to the Siam Commercial Bank to ask the bank and three others to stop lending money to Ch. Karnchang because that money will have a serious impact on the people of the lower Mekong region.”

The other banks that have provided loans to Ch. Karchang include Bangkok Bank, Krung Thai Bank and Kasikorn Bank.

The letter also demands that Ch. Karchang immediately suspend the project because of the potential damage to the Mekong eco-system, fisheries, and food security of the people on both sides of the river.

Another protester said preliminary construction work, such as building of access roads, has been ongoing and affecting riparian communities in the vicinity.

“According to a survey we have conducted, the dam project has already evicted many villagers—our friends in Laos,” he said.

On Wednesday, the core leaders of the represented groups will meet with environmentalists in Nakhor Phranom province to hold another rally and to discuss the impact of the dam on the people and ecology, they said.

December agreement

In December, Laos’s three downstream neighbors—Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam—pushed for a suspension of construction following a campaign by environmental groups and local civil society and the recommendation by an expert study group for a 10-year moratorium on all mainstream dams, pending additional research on their potentially catastrophic environmental and socioeconomic impact.

The four countries of the MRC agreed in principle that further studies on the Xayaburi Dam’s impact were needed before it could be built.

The MRC is the main body through which the countries negotiate and discuss transboundary effects of management of their shared river and has been important to building consensus in the region.

But experts say that if the Xayaburi moves forward, it could spell the end of the MRC, rendering it irrelevant as an institution.

Pianporn Deetes, coordinator for International Rivers, a California-based water rights group, said the Lao government must look beyond the short-term benefits of the dam.

“This project may generate some money for the government, but in the long-term the government should look at possible serious impacts to the Mekong River and the whole region,” she said.

“In addition, the dam will create a conflict in the region. The government should think about the people and their children, who will have to move to new villages where not much land will be available for them to cultivate.”

Laos, which has planned over 70 dams on its rivers, has said it hopes to become the “battery” of Southeast Asia.

The Mekong River is central to the livelihoods and food security of an estimated 65 million people, studies have shown.

Reported by RFA’s Lao service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

Copyright © 1998-2011 Radio Free Asia. All rights reserved.

Related News:

• Ch Karnchang eyes 10% return from Laos project‎ The Nation
• CK targets 15% growth as Xayaburi progresses‎ Bangkok Post
• Laos resumes construction of controversial Xayaburi dam‎ Radio Australia

Xayaburi study locks in funding

Click on the link to get more news and video from original source:  http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012042355715/National-news/xayaburi-study-locks-in-funding.html

Shane Worrell

Monday, 23 April 2012

Local villagers stand on the banks of the Mekong River in Xayaburi province, Laos, near the area where a controversial dam is slated for construction. Photo by International Rivers

Japan has agreed to fund a study into what negative effects the controversial Xayaburi hydro dam project in Laos could have on Mekong River communities, a Cambodia National Mekong Committee official said yesterday.

Te Navuth, the committee’s secretary-general, said Mekong River Commission (MRC) member states, including Cambodia, had agreed in December that another study was needed before the 1,260-megawatt dam project could begin.

“Mekong countries and Japan have agreed to carry out this study,” he said, referring to discussions at the Japan-Mekong Summit in Tokyo over the weekend. “Before, we didn’t have this statement clearly.”

Thai development firm Ch.Karnchang announced it had begun construction work on the dam on March 15 after signing a US$2.4 billion contract with the Xayaburi Power Company, the Post reported last week.

Sin Niny, permanent vice-chairman of CNMC, was reported elsewhere saying Cambodia had the right to file a legal complaint if Laos began the project on its own.

Under a 1995 agreement, a host country must consult MRC members of such projects before proceeding.

Te Navuth said legal action against Laos might be hasty.

“I don’t think [Cambodia] would do this. [The agreement with Japan] is a new positive development . . . that will promote cooperation of the member states.”

But concern remained over whether the dam project, the first of its kind on the Lower Mekong, had begun, he said.

“We have reports of some preliminary constructions,” Te Navuth said. “Cambodia will send an official to Laos. We have sent several letters . . . [asking them] not to proceed with any work. I think they will consider this [new study],” he said, adding they had been unresponsive in the past.

Save the Mekong spokesperson Meach Mean said he was concerned about the project.

“Without a study, we do not know what … the damage will be,” he said. “We ask the Lao government to postpone [the dam project]. Please, Laos, respect the 1995 agreement.”

Sin Niny and the Japanese Embassy in Phnom Penh could not be reached.

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To contact the reporter on this story: Shane Worrell at shane.worrell@phnompenhpost.com

 

Related News:

• Laos resumes construction of controversial Xayaburi dam  Radio Australia
• Construction resumes on controversial Mekong dam project in Laos‎ Radio Australia News
• Mock fish and banners‎ New Straits Times