Large-scale dam projects often prove controversialWednesday, 21 November 2007
By Lawrence Ong
Asia Business Report, BBC World, People's Democratic Republic of Lao
For an Asian capital, Vientiane in the People's Democratic Republic of Lao is a sleepy place.
The pace of life in the former French colony is slow, and time often feels as if it is standing still. The closest thing to rush hour is the morning market with every other stall selling baguette sandwiches.
Just minutes away from the capital, there is even a greater sense of serenity.
Like Cambodia, Laos is known for its tragic past. During the Vietnam War it became the most bombed country in history - and that has left a legacy of poverty and underdevelopment.
Four out of five people in this mountainous, landlocked country are subsistence farmers living hand to mouth.
According to the United Nations Development Programme, Laos is currently ranked 133rd out of 177 countries on the Human Development Index.
Natural benefits
But Laos is blessed with a long stretch of the Mekong river, and the river's tributaries and the country's mountainous landscape offer huge potential for generating hydro-electric power.
The Lao government now dreams of becoming the "battery of South-East Asia", utilising the country's powerful natural resource to boost its development.
-----And with its neighbours such as China, Vietnam, and Thailand all craving energy supplies to fuel their surging economies, finding a buyer for the power is not a big worry.
"What Laos needs is a development strategy to reduce poverty without destroying the rivers and resources upon which Lao people depend" - Shannon Lawrence, International Rivers
-----
Already under construction, the Nam Theun 2 dam is one of the biggest and most controversial projects in the region.
Located in the central Lao provinces of Khammuane and Bolikhamzy, the $1.45bn (£705m) project is being built by a consortium of companies including Electricite de France (EDF) and the Electricity Generating Company of Thailand.
The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank are among the international agencies providing the funding and support to the project.
When the project is completed at the end of 2009, neighbour Thailand plans to import more than 90% of the power, earning the Lao government about $1.9bn over the next 25 years.
'Lot of thought'
The World Bank sees this as a model project, and it says that every step has been taken to minimise the environmental and social impact.
Peter Stephens, spokesperson at the World Bank, says Nam Theun 2 is a great opportunity for Laos to make a lot of money over a long period of time and use it to help alleviate poverty.
The dam in Laos will change the lives as well as the landscape"It's a project that has seen a lot of thought put into its side-effects on the environment and the local communities," he explains.
Mr Sor and his family are amongst the 6,200 indigenous peoples who have been forced to move home in order to make way for the dam's reservoir which stretches 450-square kilometres (281 square miles).
Their house in Sopia Village is brand new, and the village now has access to better roads and cleaner water.
"We are settling down nicely now. When the new land is ready, I will grow fruit or vegetables," says Mr Sor.
Powerful problems?
But some critics argue that these villagers are among the luckier ones. They say that many more families are not getting the compensation they deserve, and that question marks remain over their long-term livelihoods.
Non-profit organisations including International Rivers say other hydro-electric power projects in Laos have left a legacy of destroyed livelihoods, and seriously damaged the local environment.
"What Laos needs is a development strategy to reduce poverty without destroying the rivers and resources upon which Lao people depend," says Shannon Lawrence of International Rivers.
"That is the type of initiative the World Bank should be supporting," she added.
For Laos, hydro-electric power is a highly lucrative venture, and it is already constructing another 10 dams and considering building up to 70 more.
The government promises to use the money to alleviate poverty.
But with the country consistently rated as one of the world's most corrupt, there are serious questions as to whether hydro-electric power projects will truly benefit the locals, or simply help make their government richer.
15 comments:
I am just shaking my head when reading this kind of news! I mean Cambodia has a long stretch of Mekong river too and Cambodia fail to take advantage of the Mekong river while let other countries in the region taking advantage of it!
The concept for Cambodia to buy electricity from Laos or Vietname is a slave concept!
You see, 12:58, there is a nice feature behind an autocratic government such as Laos, Burma, ..., and China. That is they can passed law to snap up dams, airports, bridges, ... and what have you in a flash and attracted all sorts of businesses there to create jobs, jobs, jobs for their people.
On the contrary, it will take us years and years to get blessing from everyone democratically just to put up one stupid dams. That is why our commie neighbors is leaving us in the dust.
Laos used to be poorer than us, but now they are 15% richer in income per capita. Do you believe that?
Therefore, don't blame Cambodia for that but your stupid self for advocating evil democracy to keep us in poverty forever. Get it?
you are not just stupid, but ignorant as well, 1:24 PM. Now you feel like sh*t compare to the rest in Asia. don't ever wake up yet, my friend.
Since when Cambodia has practiced democratic, you idiot? All the power has been in ah kvack hand for 26+ years. he can do anything he want. whoever dare to resist/criticise him will be shot by unknown bikers. oh don't expect him to step down soon!!
if you to blame, blame on your stupid azz, lousy management and corruption.
who would want to deal with your gangster like government anyway.
Well then, 4:43, what type of democracy do you know off can get project moving as fast as autocracy government, huh? You freaking idiots in the US take will over 20 years just to execute a person under death roll. In Laos, this will only be weeks, dude.
That is how much human life worth ah pler!! 5:32PM, not like life under ah kvack democratic rule worth less than a pistole of his body guard or worth even less than his mistress MobiTel cell phone. people got shot and threat like dogs.
Are you blind? If it is the case, Japan would sit below your azz already. but look at Japnan?
It is not democracy that set Cambodia backward. But a bunch of stupid fools like you who do not practice it right make Cambodia go behind the rest of Asia.
Bravo 10:52 PM, the dumb ass 5:32 PM does not know what he is talking about.
Hahahaha, LOL, hahaha That is how much human life worth? You all ready sentenced the convict to dead, you idiot. How much does that worth?
when you laugh like that, you look even more stupid, fool!!
we take human errors during the process of death conviction as consideration!!Therefore, it takes a huge precaution, just to make very sure the death sentence is given to to the right person. Lastly, it needs the final approval from the state governor before the execution is taken place.
If you know anything, shut da fuck up or go do more research. it makes the rest of us look bad because of idiots like you.
Bullshit, everything had been approved. Who are you trying to kid, 5:00? You idiots just love bickering and give money to lawyers, while the poor are begging for food on the highway all over the country.
right, right!!! we see life is worth more than paper bills. Therefore, we use the green paper bills and the defend lawyers to exhaust all the possibilities to defend human life. That is why we call it a lawful land.
how is about your lawless Cambodia huh, run by a bound of fools who see human as piece of shit? Just look at the report up there. homes are burn, which is left hundredth of homeless and living the lives of living ghost. and who is the defender of those defenceless people?
it is not that you don't do the job, but you did not do it right. So shut da fcuk up!! you are behind even the lazy azz loa. Pick someone who can do the job. And don't tell me that 14 million Cambodian lacks one who can lead Cambodia to her prosperity.
Well, if it waste that much money to have your retarded law, then don't call us, let us call you instead, okay?
Unbelievable that you put money above the enforcement of the law of the land and rather wasting life but not money. No wonder there are full of corruptions, sufferings and miseries of those who are powerless.
yeah!! call us more often for money, ok?
Well, money is food to us, and we aint gonna used to feed no lawyers and criminals, especially under westerner retarded law.
so you are still working on your basic need- that is food to feed your mouth. there is no point to talk about anything beyond that.
Frankly i feel sad and disappointed at the same time when seeing our beloved Cambodia making a very slow progress comparing to the rest in the region.
Regardless, i always have been a proud Cambodia. I am very proud that Cambodia can come to this far from the ground zero of khmer rough regime.
I take a break from this. you have good one.
Yeah, that is the idea: first everyone must have enough to eat. Regretfully, that don't fall from the sky like rain. Every years, only a number of people get jobs and be self sufficient.
Furthermore, you are growing as fast as we can grow. Virtually, one else in the region is doing better, not Singapore, Malaysia, ..., or Thailand. So what more do you want?
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