Salween River is not for sale, says Shan NGOs
Shan
civic groups held a press conference in Bangkok today, claiming that the Burmese
government, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, is working secretly in support of dam construction
on the Salween River, despite knowing that the mega-project will greatly affect
many people.
Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) in the Thai capital, Sai Khur Hseng of the Shan Sapawa Environmental Organization and spokesperson for this morning’s joint-statement, said that the new Burmese government has tried to implement the hydropower projects without caring about the suffering of ordinary people.
“While
all eyes were on the Irrawaddy- Myitsone dam, Burma has quietly sold off the
Salween to China,” said Sai Khur Hseng. “We fear there has been a trade-off.”
“Amidst
the war, Australia’s Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (SMEC) has been
carrying out an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the Naung
Pha Dam in secrecy, clearly to avoid the widespread grassroots protests that
blocked its ESIA last year for another Chinese-backed dam on the Salween – the
giant Mong Ton Dam in southern Shan State,” said the statement.
The
civic groups said that on August 5, more than 200 residents Tangyan Township –
an area in line to be flooded by dam construction – staged a protest. Also, on August 21, about 60 community
leaders from Ho Pang, Kunlong, Tangyan, Hsenwi and Lashio, including local Shan
Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) MPs, held a demonstration against the
plans in Hsenwi Township.
Representing
environmental organization International Rivers, Pianporn Deetes said that the
Thai government has been attempting to foster good relations with Naypyidaw,
and had also done so with the previous Burmese administration, led by President
Thein Sein, in a bid to push forward its agenda of building dams on the Salween
River.
The
3,000-kilometre Salween River, officially known in Burmese as the Thanlwin, is
listed as the 25th longest
waterway in the world, beginning in the Tibetan plateau, passing through
southern China, Burma and the Thai border, before draining in the Andaman Sea.
“The
Thai government is seeking to build at least three dams on the Salween River, including
the Hatgyi Dam and Mong Ton Dam,” she said. “If the dams are built, there will
be flooding in central Shan State.”
She
continued: “About a million Shan people had to migrate to Thailand due to forced
relocation by the Burma army in the past 20 years. These people have to become
migrant workers who work in construction sites. If the dams are built, they
cannot return home because their houses will be under water. Therefore, they
have to live in Thailand permanently.”
Thai
environmental activist Pianporn Deetes urged the hydropower investors, as well
as both the Thai and Burmese governments, to deeply consider the local people’s
needs when the dams are built.
“There
will huge impact on the environment,” she added. “But, more importantly, there
will be a huge impact on the Shan community as well as human rights abuses.”
Tuesday’s
joint-statement read: “Apart from concerns that the dam will cause increased
fighting and displacement, villagers are fearful of dam breakage in this
earthquake and flood-prone area.
“Ho
Pang, the main Wa township to be impacted by the Naung Pha Dam, has suffered
flooding and several earthquakes in the last few weeks. Ho Pang lies on the Nam
Ting fault line.”
Nang
Charm Tong, a Shan activist and spokesperson for today’s event, said “As they
[the Burmese government] have announced that there will be no gain in terms of
electricity, they should not build dams on the Salween.”
She
added: “We strongly oppose this activity.”
On August 18, Shan Herald reported that 26 Shan-based
organizations had sent an open letter to Burma’s State Counselor and Foreign
Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, during her visit to China. The groups had demanded
that the Burmese government immediately stop all the hydropower projects on the Salween
River.
The
blueprints for a hydropower project on the Salween include a series of dams in
Shan State: the 7,100 megawatt Mong Ton Dam; the 1,400 MW Kunlong Dam; the
1,200 MW Nong Pha Dam; and the 200 MW Manntaung Dam. The project would also
include plans for a 4,000 MW Ywathit Dam in Karenni State, and the 1,360
MW Hat Gyi Dam in Karen State. Investors in the projects include the China
Three Gorges Corporation, a Chinese state-owned firm which operates the world’s
largest dam on the Yangtze River. The other foreign firms involved in the
Salween project are: Sinohydro; China Southern Grid; and a subsidiary of the
state-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand.
Local
partners are the Burmese Ministry of Electric Power and the International Group
of Entrepreneurs (IGE), a firm controlled by the offspring of the late Aung
Thaung, the long-time industry minister under Snr-Gen Than Shwe’s military
regime.
According
to the related contracts, when the projects are completed, 90 percent of the
electricity generated is to be exported to China and Thailand.
Tags: Environment, News
