Victory for Burma reformers over dam project
Work on 2.3bn Myitsone dam halted after Burma's president says he has to 'act according to the desire of the people'
Democracy activists and environmentalists have notched up a rare victory in Burma after the president ordered the suspension of a huge Chinese hydropower project on the Irrawaddy river.
Following opposition by activists, academics and tribal militias, President Thein Sein informed parliament that construction of the $3.6bn (2.3bn) Myitsone dam should be halted because it was against the will of the people.
The suspension of the 3,600MW project on Burma's most important river is a remarkable step for a nation long ruled by military fiat, but after elections this year, the government appears to have put public and ecological concerns ahead of economic priorities and the interests of its most powerful neighbour.
The decision was welcomed by Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Burma's pro-democracy opposition. In August, the Nobel laureate called for the plan to be reassessed and greater efforts to be made to protect the Irawaddy and the interests of people who would be affected.
The move is also likely to be well received in the Kachin region, the site of the dam. The barrier would have been flooded by a reservoir the size of New York City, forcing the displacement of 10,000 people and submerging important cultural sites.
Earlier this year, the Kachin Independence Organisation broke a 17-year ceasefire after warning that it would fight to block the project.
Environmental groups have warned that the dam, which is being built by the China Gezhouba Group on the confluence of the Mali and N'Mai, would inundate one of the world's bioversity hotspots and pose a big risk in the event of an earthquake. A leaked environmental assessment (pdf) jointly commissioned by the Burmese and Chinese authorities recommended scrapping the project.
"The fragmentation of the Irrawaddy river by a series of dams will have serious social and environmental problems not only upstream of dams but also far downstream in the coastal area," the assessment notes. "There is no need for such a big dam to be constructed at the confluence of the Irrawaddy river."
There has clearly been a tussle inside the government over the dam, which began construction in 2009 and was scheduled for completion in 2018. Earlier this month, the minister for electric power, U Zaw Min, insisted the plan would go ahead. Senior environmental officials, however, had urged caution.
This week, the Myanmar Times reported the possibility of a cessation of the project to allow wider consultation among experts and debate by representatives of the groups likely to be affected.
"We accept the dam could do harm to the environment," it quoted U Win Tun, the minister for environmental conservation and forestry, as saying. "We need to be very cautious. If there are any development projects that are going to damage the environment, we will have to negotiate to minimise the damage."
Such are the sensitivities, however, that Burmese journalists were reportedly restricted from writing about the Myitsone project and the environmental problems facing the Irrawaddy river.
Thein Sein may be taking a risk with the announcement. His government took over this year from the junta, which ruled Burma for decades and is still thought to be under the influence of the military. The move, however, could strengthen his legitimacy with the people and win favour with the US and Europe, which have yet to lift sanctions on Burma.
He will also have to explain to China, Burma's most powerful backer, why he is halting on! e of its biggest investments in the country. The Myitsone dam which is being funded by China Power Investment is part of a cascade of hydropower projects that are being built largely to sell energy across the border.
Environmental groups were delighted. The Burma Rivers Network, a non-governmental organisation which represents communities along the river, said a cancellation would be a "great victory for the people of Burma".
It said the government should allow people relocated by the project to return to their homes and demand that China Power Investment pull all personnel and equipment from Myitsone and cancel six other hydroelectric plants on the Irrawaddy.
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