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Thai government briefs people on Salween dam project
by May Kyaw
Wednesday, 10 June 2009 21:59
http://www.mizzima.com/news/regional/2280-thai-government-briefs-people-on-salween-dam-project.html
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) The government of Thailand has explained to its
people on June 8 the benefit which will accrue to Thailand from the
Salween Hat Gyi Dam.
A Thai government official of the Environment Department explained
about the dam to people who will be relocated because of its
construction.
I still do not know the details of the agreement reached between the
Thai and Burmese governments for the construction of the dam.
Questions will be raised in Parliament regarding the details of the
project, the official told Mizzima.
He told this to the Mizzima correspondent during a tour of Kha Lekho
village in Thailand.
The tour had media people, Thai government officials of the Electrical
Power Department, Construction Department, Environment Department and
Researchers.
On completion of the project, Thailand will get 90 per cent of the
electricity generated and Burma will receive only the remaining 10 per
cent, Thai Electrical Power Department officials said.
The project will take seven years to complete but the official
agreement has not yet been reached. We cannot say anything at this
stage. The project may be cancelled, an engineer from the Thai
Electric Power Department said.
The Thai government has said that six villages home to 1,800 people
need to be relocated for the construction of the dam project. But the
local people claimed that in reality 24 villages would be affected.
No good will come off this project for us. On the contrary we will be
badly affected. There will be floods and our farms will be destroyed.
It is in fact forced relocation, a villager in Kha Lekho village
said.
Thai and Burmese governments signed an agreement for the Hat Gyi dam
construction at the end of 2007. The proposed dam will be built on the
Myaing Gyi Ngu, downstream of Salween and Moei Rivers.
At the beginning of the project in 2004, a survey engineer was killed
in a landmine blast and another Thai engineer, Smarn, was killed in a
bomb explosion in 2007.
The Salween River which heaps benefits on the people living along its
valley originates from Yunnan province in China and flows along Shan
State, Karen State and Mon State in Burma. |
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