Shan State residents urge halt to large dams amid escalating conflict
Communities in Shan State held a press conference yesterday in the state capital Taunggyi to urge the Myanmar government and foreign investors to immediately stop plans to build large dams on rivers in Shan state, where conflict is escalating.
Of 43 large dams planned in Myanmar, over half will be built on rivers in Shan State, including four on the Salween and its Nam Ma tributary. Among numerous social and environmental concerns raised by Shan groups is the fact that most dams lie in conflict-affected areas, including the Kunlong dam on the Salween in the Kokang region, where heavy fighting since early February has displaced up to 100,000 residents.
Despite forced suspension of dam construction at Kunlong, foreign developers are pushing ahead with plans for the giant Mongton /Tasang dam on the Salween in southern Shan State, amid areas under the control of Shan and Wa armies. On March 10, Chinese, Thai and Myanmar companies held their first public consultation in Taunggyi in preparation for the dam.
“Even as conflict sabotages one Salween dam, Chinese and Thai developers are pushing ahead with another,” said one local resident. “Don’t they realise the risks of building dams in war zones?”
The Mongton/Tasang dam is a joint venture between Thailand’s EGAT International and China’s Sinohydro and Three Gorges Corporation. Ninety per cent of the 7,000 megawatts of electricity produced will be sold to Thailand or China.
The communities in Shan State are also urging the political parties in Shan State and armed groups to support their calls for a halt to all large dams in the state.
Action for Shan State Rivers
