With controversy at its highest about Xayaburi Dam in Laos, the Laotian government seems to back down and invite representatives from GMS countries to come for an inspection site.
BANGKOK- This Monday and Tuesday, delegates from Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam as well as representatives from the Mekong River Commission have been officially invited by the Laotian government for a tour of the much rejected Xayaburi Dam. This will be the first time that Laos proposes a site inspection to international delegates. Delegates will stay until Tuesday receiving briefings and doing a site tour. The Laotian government will do its best to convince other Mekong countries of the ‘sustainability’ of the Dam project, supported by reports from French and Swiss consultants. “There are many people who do not understand the real situation and we need to give them the correct information,” the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Laos changing attitude happened following the visit last week of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. It took 57 years for Laos to welcome again a high ranking US official. In a statement, Mrs. Clinton invited the Laotian government to do more studies on the impact of the Xayaburi Dam.
A report from a NGO (International Rivers) warned that, in contrary to statements, works on the dam were going on with dredging, the construction of a large retaining wall and the resettling of local villagers. The report said that the Dam could kill the Mekong eco-system with 50% of fish species threatened to disappear. It would then be an ecological and economic catastrophe for villagers living from fishing and other resources provided by the Mekong river. In Thailand, villagers want to sue Thai State electricity company EGAT who is the main beneficiary of future hydropower plants located along the dam…
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
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