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Salween Dam

Irrawaddy, October 3, 2007

Salween river dam project essential for Thai energy security, says
minister - Sai Silp

The Salween River dam hydroelectric project in Burma should continue
because it is important for energy stability in Thailand, according to a
high-level Energy Ministry official.

Meanwhile, the Thailand Human Rights Organization has agreed to ask the
government to cancel the project, according to an environmental activist.

Pornchai Rujiprapha, the secretary-general of the Energy Ministry who is
also the chairman of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand,
told a press conference on Tuesday that the electricity generating project
is essential to stability because Thailand now mainly uses natural gas to
produce electricity.

"Natural gas supply in the country is decreasing and the cost is
increasing...so other sources and kinds of energy are needed from both
Laos and Burma," he said, according to a report in the Thai News Agency on
Wednesday.

He said Egat has designated 120 million baht (US $3.6 million) to assist
in public health, education and employment for local villagers in the
Salween dam area. The project was temporarily suspended following the
death of an Egat employee at a construction site and the recent
pro-democracy uprising in Burma.

Meanwhile, the Thailand Human Rights Commission organized a public forum
on Hat Gyi Dam that included people from the effected area.

Pianporn Deetes, a staff member of the Southeast Asian Rivers Network,
told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the commissioners have agreed to ask
the government to stop the project because of its negative impact on
villagers and the environment in both Thailand and Burma.

Thaweewong Sriburi of the Environmental Research Institute of
Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok told the forum that a survey of the
construction sites in Karen State, Burma, found it is a conflict zone
between the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army and the Karen National Union.

"The leaders of these groups support the construction, but they urge
assistance for quality of life developments for the villagers," he said.
An impact survey on the Thai side of the border has not been completed, he
said, according to the report in Thai News Agency.

Two Egat staffers were killed by an unidentified group while working on
construction sites in the dam area. In the most recent incident, an
employee died when a mortal shell fell on a construction site.

The dam project has drawn strong protests from environmentalists and
ethnic groups, who say that three proposed dams in the area would
dislocate villagers and lead to human rights abuses by Burmese soldiers.
Some observers say the dams would affect the livelihood of more than 10
million people from 13 ethnic groups in Burma.

The dam project is a joint undertaking of the Burmese, Thai and Chinese
governments.

 
 

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