Burma Rivers Watch rejected all dam construction in Shan State at a press conference held at Classic Hall in Taunggyi City, Shan State on 13 March.
The press conference was held to celebrate the International Day of Action for Rivers 2015 on 14 March.
Sai Khur Hseng the spokesperson for the campaign group Salween Watch said: “Local residents do not even get electricity. The people of Burma will be impacted [by the hydropower projects] but China and Thailand will develop because all the electricity will be sold to them.”
He also said that that there are plans to construct over 80 dams in the whole country, over half of which will be built in Shan State.
He explained that such dam construction leads to livelihood difficulties, farmland related problems, forced relocations and other unnecessary problems and that the negative impacts far outweigh the positive impacts.
U Nyo Win who lives near the Pong Long dam project said: “We were not informed in advance of when the Pong Long Dam construction would start. The authorities did whatever they wanted to do. Villagers from 23 villages could not continue to earn their livelihoods and they forced them to relocate. In total over 10,000 people faced difficulties.”
People from northern, eastern and southern areas of Shan State, scholars, rivers activists and political party members attended the press conference. They agreed to reject all further dam constructions.
Translated by Aung Myat Soe English version written by Mark Inkey for BNI
