The four-nation (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand) Mekong River Commission met today. There is “still a difference in views” over the project, which Vietnam vehemently opposes. Environmentalists back a ten-year moratorium. Vientiane gives in and postpones decision.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Asia News
Vientiane – The Laotian government has decided to postpone any decision concerning the Xayaburi dam because of strong opposition from its neighbours, including its historic ally Vietnam. The decision was announced at a meeting today in Vientiane of representatives of Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. The project is the first of its kind in the lower Mekong River—four already exist in China. Environmentalists had criticised the dam because of its huge region-wide impact. The issue has also led to heated debates online. Vietnamese opponents have set up their own Facebook account (Những người phản đối đập Xayaburi) to oppose the dam.
Recently, US-based environmental group International Rivers waded into the controversy by criticising the start of construction, which Lao authorities decided despite protests and without informing its neighbours. Laos in fact appears to have started building a road to the future dam site. Laotian government officials refused to comment reports on the matter, leaving everything to today’s meeting.
The Vientiane summit ended without an agreement. There was "still a difference in views" between the four nations over the project, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) said in a statement.
Nevertheless, Vietnam’s staunch opposition convinced Laos to postpone its final decision. International observers were initially surprised to see Laos go ahead against one of its historic allies.
According to an MRC study, the 11 planned dams on the Mekong would result in estimated losses in agriculture of more than US$ 500 million a year, cutting the average protein intake of Thai and Lao people by 30 per cent.
The location of the US$ 3.5 billion, 1,260 megawatts Xayaburi dam is in a remote region in northern Laos. It is expected to displace about 2,100 people living in villages spread out over the area as well as negatively affect tens of thousands of people living along the river.
The contract to build the dam went to a Thai company and Thailand would have been the main beneficiary of the project. But Laos still expects to become “the battery of Southeast Asia".
For its part, the MRC has called for a ten-year moratorium on construction to carry out more environmental impact studies.
About 65 million people live along the Mekong River, which starts on the Tibetan plateau and flows through China’s Yunnan province before making its way to Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
The value of its fishery and fish farming has been estimated at around US$ 3 billion a year.
Now the 4,880-kilometre waterway, considered the second most bio-diverse river in the world, is threatened by hydroelectric dam projects, like the Xayaburi dam, which could radically upset its ecological balance.
10 comments:
Nice! that this project is now postponed. I hope that the Laotian govt will not reconsider this project in the future.
Instead of thinking money making, they should think the lives of the people living a long the river and the impact of mass destruction of agriculture products that this dam could potentially destroy.
Om Yentieng has an discussion
with Mr. Hun Sen, the ruler of Cambodia today.
Om Yentieng: We need to take in serious matter, in Cambodian government on disease corruption, to reduce population poverty. What do you think Mr. Prime Minister HUn Sen.
Hun Sen. I will try my best to decrease the corruption disease.
siem thugs is the one that investing in this controversial dam! siem thugs are hypocrites, you know!
I am supprised that the project has gone this far because Lao is basically controlled by Vietnamese. Many Vietnamese are holding high position in Lao-their names were changed to Loatian just like So Kung in Cambodia. So Kung is not work in Cambodian government but he practically own Cambodia.
Thai need to get their act together or the country will be just like Lao and Cambodia under the occupation-intergration to Vietnames race.
There got the commission money for Laos government.LOL Hanoi called and said ssaaaastop....Gonk Ga Laos
Mr. Sam Rainsy is the sun that shine bright in all Cambodians heart and mind unlike Dr. Hun Sen murdered thousands khmer lives and cut off 30 000 km2 of Cambodia to Vietnam as personal gift.
So Who is the bad guy now?
Var Kim Hong does recognize that Cambodia, if compared to the colonial Service Geographique de l’Indochine scale map 1/100,000 and the 1985 delimitation treaty, will loses 9,000 hectares; and compared to U.S Army Mapping Service scale map 1/50,000 with the 1985 Treaty, would lose about 7,900 hectares to Vietnam. This statement was confirmed by Var Kim Hong to Mr. Touch Bora Esq through a telephone conversation on 30 August 2002 at 4:30 p.m. (Sydney time), which Mr. Touch Bora Esq wrote in his letter dated on 9 September 2002 sent to Sam Dach Ta Noroudom Sihanouk concerning over border affairs.
In fact, the loss is absolutely more than the 1000 square kilometers stated by MP Sam Rainsy in his statement, if we add the size of the historical water of 30000 square kilometers awarded to Vietnam under the 1982 Agreement which has been into affect and now already become under the full control of Vietnam. And this would not be the last if the equidistance principle be used to delimit the maritime boundary, Cambodia will lose an additional area of sea and seabed measuring at least 860 square nautical miles from the Brevie Line to the north, analyzed by Mr. Touch Bora Esq or another 10000 square kilometers confirmed by Mr. Sean Pengse, the President of the Cambodian Border Committee Worldwide, which exclusively include another Koh Poula Wai to Vietnam added to the previous lost islands- Koh Tral (Dao Phu Quoc) and Koh Poulo Panjang (Dao Thu Chu).
This is why sVar Kim Hong said in front of Students´s Movement for Democracy (SMD), and Sam Dach Ta Norodom Sihanouk on 22 Janaury 2000 during our audience with him concerning the border resolution with Vietnam that; “If we want peace, we must sacrifice our flesh to the tiger.” The truth is discovered now that, “Sacrifice the flesh to tiger actually means cutting our land to the Viet.” This word was clearly spoken out from his mouth and there were Sam Dach Ta as witness and 31 members.
We must condemn this Var Kim Hong for his role in helping the traitorous regime of Hun Sen.
Smart Khmer Girl Ms. Rattana Keo,
Why The Viet go around and step all Cambodian and Laotian heads? Come on business is business. The Lao government have to stand up and pick the win ,win situation after the dams are finish tell the Viet go to hell ,if they dare to protest it just drown them with the water,who care treat khmers and Laotian as we are human or the Viet can taste their own medecines.
khmersott
Koh Tral Island must not be forgotten
By Ms. Rattana Keo
Why do Koh Tral Island, known in Vietnam as Phu Quoc, a sea and land area covering proximately over 10,000 km2 [Note: the actual land size of Koh Tral itself is 574 square kilometres (222 sq miles)] have been lost to Vietnam by whose treaty? Why don’t Cambodia government be transparent and explain to Cambodia army at front line and the whole nation about this? Why don't they include this into education system? Why?
Cambodian armies are fighting at front line for 4.6 km2 on the Thai border and what's about over 10,000km2 of Cambodia to Vietnam. Nobody dare to talk about it! Why? Cambodian armies you are decide the fate of your nation, Cambodian army as well as Cambodian people must rethink about this again and again. Is it fair?
Koh Tral Island, the sea and land area of over 10,000 square kilometres have been lost to Vietnam by the 1979 to 1985 treaties. The Cambodian army at front line as well as all Cambodian people must rethink again about these issues. Are Cambodian army fighting to protect the Cambodia Nation or protecting a very small group that own big lands, big properties or only protecting a small group but disguising as protecting the Khmer nation?
The Cambodian army at front lines suffer under rain, wind, bullets, bombs, lack of foods, lack of nutrition and their families have no health care assistance, no securities after they died but a very small group eat well, sleep well, sleep in first class hotel with air conditioning system with message from young girls, have first class medical care from oversea medical treatments, they are billionaires, millionaires who sell out the country to be rich and make the Cambodian people suffer everyday.
Who signed the treaty 1979-1985 that resulted in the loss over 10,000 km2 of Cambodia??? Why they are not being transparent and brave enough to inform all Cambodians and Cambodian army at front line about these issues? Why don't they include Koh Tral (Koh Tral size is bigger than the whole Phom Phen and bigger than Singapore [Note: Singapore's present land size is 704 km2 (271.8 sq mi)]) with heap of great natural resources, in the Cambodian education system?
Look at Hun Sen's families, relatives and friends- they are billionaires, millionaires. Where did they get the money from when we all just got out of war with empty hands [in 1979]? Hun Sen always say in his speeches that Cambodia had just risen up from the ashes of war, just got up from Year Zero with empty hands and how come they are billionaires, millionaires but 90% of innocent Cambodian people are so poor and struggling with their livelihood every day?
Smart Khmer girl Ms. Rattana Keo,
cambodia and laos should unite to build the mega dam on the mekong river, etc, so the mekong river delta can become flooded with saltwater so the youn thugs can grow their rice in the mekong river delta region, etc! youn thugs stole too much from cambodia, that's why khmer people hated them, you know! we want our koh tral back and eventually our mekong river delta region with indigenous khmer krom people as well, ok! go back to being a province of china, ok! stop changing khmer names to ugly youn sounds, ok! khmer sound is better, ok!
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