Sky News
Energy-starved Cambodia has opened the country's largest hydropower dam to date, a multi-million dollar Chinese-funded project that has attracted criticism from environmental groups.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said the start of operations of the 194-megawatt hydroelectric dam, which cost more than $US280 million ($A274 million), in southern Kampot province was a 'historic event' in the development of the nation.
He brushed aside the concerns of local and foreign activists, saying the environmental impact of the dam had been 'well studied' and it would help bring down electricity prices in areas including the capital Phnom Penh.
'There is no development that will not impact on the environment,' he said in a speech broadcast on national radio, urging 'extreme environmentalists' to 'look at the whole forest rather than each single tree'.
US-based campaigners International Rivers said the Kamchay dam had destroyed hundreds of hectares of forest and farmland and warned it would have a negative impact on fisheries and on local people's livelihoods.
'Consideration of the dam's environmental impacts had no place in the project's decision-making,' said Ame Trandem, the non-profit group's Southeast Asia programme director.
'As the first large dam in Cambodia, we hope this project does not set precedent for future energy planning and development in the country.'
Around a quarter of households in the impoverished nation currently have access to electricity.
Spiralling utility prices, driven by the lack of supply, are a major obstacle for Cambodia to attract foreign investment, and the government has struggled to find a way to bring down the cost of power.
Nine more dams, including at least four funded by China, are set to open by 2019, and once they are all operational the government says they will generate 2045 megawatts of power, serving all Cambodia's provinces.
The inauguration of the Kamchay dam on Wednesday came a day before Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam are set to announce whether Laos will push ahead with the development of the controversial Xayaburi megadam on the lower Mekong River.
Cambodia has called for more examination of the cross-border impacts of that project before a final decision is made by Laos on whether to go ahead.
14 comments:
i agree with the prime minister's view on development. sometime, in order for cambodia to develop and get much needed electricity for the growing and developing country, we have start looking for way to create it, given, of course, there will be some environmental damage, restructuring, etc, but who to say that development doesn't come at a price if we were to compete and grow and develop and so on! it's happening all the time anywhere in the world when they have development. so, be fair with cambodia on this. of course, cambodia want to grow into prosperity, development, competition, etc; it is stupid for us not to do so while others all around us are doing just that, you see. so, life must go on in cambodia, ok! get used to it! we are not alone in all of this, ok!
it is like sex, the only way to be afraid of sex is to be abstinence, so you really think cambodia is going to stay abstinence for long? hello, what planet are you from?
to me, this environmentalist group did not consider the complaint investors had wit cambodia, e.g. electricity demands, etc... all they think about is fishery and a few primitive livelihoods of the locals while the put the entire country of cambodia at stake of lacking behind other countries in electricity production, etc... so, this group is very biased and ignorant. i'm glad cambodia see the other way. cambodia did the studies and see to it that we have to have unlimited supplies of electricity for our hungry nation. what i dislike about this group's view is that it sounded so biased toward cambodia! they did not to find solution to the problem, instead, they they cambodia should not develop and should not grow. i wonder what planet they are from? talk about ignorant people, here, really!
Why are allow the few to benefit and destroy environment? The environment is belong to all. Chinese destroy everything not just in Cambodia but the wolrd. Read China Safari. If Cambodia become Sahara, it is done for Cambodia. It will be done for anyone if environment destroy. No trees, no water. No water no life. Khmer need to get up. Enough from Youn and Chin.
i think if the development is planned and organized, then it is ok. the one we have to worry about is the unplanned one or unorganized one, you know!
This one I have to agree with Hun Sen gov't. This dam has been approved to build since 70s but due to war the project was delayed. One thing I wish they would do more is to have a little more thorough study to minimize the impact to the local population.
4:18 AM Cant expect much rights from the ruling governments when they are used to force eviction, violence and murders.
what do you expect? a legacy of the crazy KR era. that said, relocation is ok because development is in the interest of cambodia, not some primitive hillybilly tribe, ok!
the problem is those individual people are greedy and took advantage of the gov't's development by staging a squatter community where they knew the development is slated to occur. you sounded like you pretend not to know this, how hypocritical of political group like yours! it's too common an occurrent for people not to realize it, you know! of course, gov't did compensate them, but they are still very greedy for market price or what have you, in the case of the boeung kak lake squatters, etc... so, don't act dumb here, ok! fool me once is ok, fool me twice, good luck! please in school and be educated for life, ok!
DUMB, VIETCONGS/VIETNAMS, YOUR SMART IN THE BAD WAYS BY KILLING KHMERS PEOPLE AND TAKE OVER THEIR LANDS AND COUNTRY ETC. EVEN IN AMERICA, WHEN YOU (DUMB VIETCONGS), DO SOMETHING WRONGS.
1. YOU TELLING AMERICANS PEOPLE, YOU ARE KHMER/CAMBODIAN.
2 WHEN YOU (DUMB VIETCONGS) DO SOMETHING GOOD, YOU TELLING AMERICANS
PEOPLE, YOU ARE VIETNAMESE OR CHINESE.
DON'T LOOKS DOWN ON KHMERS PEOPLE AS YOU ARE SO DUMB TOO.
AND THE WORLD IS HAPPENING EVERYWHERE NOW, MAYBE YOUR (DUMB EVILS VIETCONGS) GO TO HELL SOON.
Whos killing millions of Khmers life??
The answer is...........Vietcooks/Viets
Forced eviction is KR ideology now being used in the modern era of Hun Sen gov't. Very regretful to see that still happening in 2012 when other countries worry about getting taking care of their people, Cambodia evicts their own people out of their lands into poor desperation.
Can't blame Hun Sen on this one. Cambodia needs to depend less on getting electricity from outside of the country.
AH! Kwack how whole are you talking about, for the trees the eye can see fron any town were gone???
AH Kwack as goverment, you stupid PhD not just bullshit in general like this, all kids in 5th grade know about that, the impck of living on environement!
You should answer in technic and detail of pro and con and benefit and desater!
Let your son teach you if he not get diploma by some kind of sort of arangement like you!
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