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Committee warns of Salween Dam trouble

Kamol Sukin, THE NATION, Published on Jun 3, 2003 

 

The Senate Committee on Public Participation yesterday warned that the Salween Dam project would cause serious conflict in local communities, especially the measure to gain supporters by offering financial incentives. 

"The potential for conflict related to the lack of proper public participation is high," said Senator Niran Phitak Watchara yesterday at the launch of a book on the project called "The Salween Dam; a Tragedy of Two Countries". 

"The government should learn its lesson from past power projects," he said. As part of its "Asian Grid" plan, the government announced support of the construction of two dams on the Salween, one in Burma and the other on the Thai-Burmese border, with a total capacity of 8,632 megawatts. 

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat), the project's owner, said it might be possible to offer a percentage of electricity back to the local community after the project was finished. 

Dr Niran said such a measure would lead to more conflicts in local communities that could result in violent confrontations. "As the policy-maker, the government should try to avoid such conflicts," he said. 

To complement the book, a network of artists, activists, environmentalists, academics and local communities has been formed to inform the public about the controversial project. 

Issues raised by the network include engineering, the impact on the environment and lifestyles of the two countries, labour and human rights, ethnicity, culture and public participation by those affected in both countries. 

This is the first move by the NGO sector on the proposed project, which still needs much study before it can go ahead. 

 
 

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