eng homeabout usmekong riversalween rivermun riverthai baan researchpublication
 

Undercurrent of tension set to burst banks: Mekong River activists take fight to embassy

Bangkok Post. 8 March 2010.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/34070/undercurrent-of-tension-set-to-burst-banks

Residents of Chiang Rai plan to rally outside the Chinese embassy in
Bangkok next month to protest against Beijing's dam management, which
they say has caused severe water shortages this year and heavy floods
two years ago along the Mekong River.

Niwat Roykaew, the leader of the Chiang Khong Conservation Group, said
tens of thousands of people depend on the Mekong River for their
livelihoods.

China has built four dams upstream. Protesters say the operations have
had a severe impact on the ecosystem and the traditional way of life
of the people downstream.

"We can't stand by idly on the issue," Mr Niwat said.

"No one is telling China about the painful experience we are facing.
As the prime victims, we will make our voice heard and take action to
deal with the problem."

He said the planned protest outside the Chinese embassy next month was
timed to coincide with a meeting of the Mekong River Commission in
Cha-am, Phetchaburi.

Members of the Chiang Khong Conservation Group would set up a desk
during the MRC meeting to educate people about the importance of the
Mekong River and to explain the impact of the Chinese dams on the
lives of people who depend on it.

The government will be petitioned to "take serious action and help
solve the problem for the people".

"The government should play an active role to deal with the problem,"
Mr Niwat said. "Serious discussions with China must be held.

"The government should not be concerned only with the country's trade
relations with China. It must protect the rights of the people using
the river."

The water level in the river dropped to 33 centimetres above mean sea
level last month against the average summer level of 2.2 metres,
records of the Chiang Saen water measurement centre show.

The unusual drop in the water level made river transport impossible
and forced the Chinese government to open dam sluice gates to
facilitate shipments of goods along the river. The water level has
risen back to about 1.29 metres.

Miti Yaprasit, a coordinator of the Chiang Khong Conservation Group,
said the Chiang Rai provincial authority sent a letter to the governor
of China's Yunnan province last month, demanding he release water to
ease the water shortage in the lower Mekong region.

The Yunnan governor sent a reply saying he could not release the water
to the lower part of the river because he needed to reserve water for
agriculture during the dry season.

"It is clear that the dams in China are the cause of the water crisis
in the Mekong," Mr Miti said.

"I don't understand why Thai authorities always claim that the drought
and floods have nothing to do with the dams. It's time we spoke the
truth."

The group has estimated that severe floods in Chiang Saen in 2009 had
caused damage of up to 85 million baht.

The damage from the water shortage this year has yet to be assessed.

Laos has suspended its ferry operation in Luang Prabang on the Mekong
for safety reasons.

Prasarn Marukpitak, chief of the senate subcommittee on the Mekong
River impact on development, said he would raise the water shortage
problem with the government today.

 
 

สมาคมแม่น้ำเพื่อชีวิต   138/1 หมู่ 4 ต.สุเทพ อ.เมือง จ.เชียงใหม่   50200
Living River Siam Association  138 Moo 4, Suthep, Muang, Chiang Mai, 50200   Thailand
Tel. & Fax.: (66)-       E-mail : admin@livingriversiam.org

ข้อมูลในเวปนี้สามารถนำไปเผยแพร่ได้โดยอ้างอิงแหล่งที่มา