Tuesday, September 13, 2011

KIO blocks construction material for Myitsone Dam project

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Tuesday, 13 September 2011 18:50 Sai Aung

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) - The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) Battalion No. 3 has blocked traders who supply construction material for the Myitsone Dam project from sending goods to the area.

La Nang, the KIO spokesman, said cement and iron construction material supplied from China via the Waimaw-Kantipai Road located in the eastern area of Kachin State were not allowed to pass through the Lahpai Gate, which is controlled by Battalion No. 3.

Preliminary work is underway on the Myitsone Dam project, which activists say will threaten the survival of the Irrawaddy River.

Preliminary work is underway on the Myitsone Dam project, which activists say will threaten the survival of the Irrawaddy River. Photo: Seng Aung

“Since the fighting started, we have blocked construction material to be used for the Myitsone Dam. As a result, we heard that the Myitsone Dam construction has been halted because of a lack of material,” La Nang said. Fighting between government troops and the KIO started on June 9.

Electrical Power Ministry No. 1 Minister Zaw Min said in a press conference on Saturday that the Myitsone Dam project had been temporarily halted during the monsoon season and construction work would start again when the monsoon ended.

Many people and groups inside Burma and in foreign countries have called for a halt and a reevaluation of the dam project. Writer Ko Tar, Maung Sein Win (String of Beads), Meteorologist Dr. Tun Lwin and Conservationist Zaw Myint delivered speeches titled “Save the Irrawaddy” last week, saying the Myitsone Dam project should not be carried out.

On the other hand, Minister Zaw Min said in his press conference in Naypyitaw that even the United Nations did not have the right to intervene in the project because it was in Burma’s national interest.

An opposition lawmaker in Parliament this week said that large national projects that could impact the environment should seek approval from the Parliament before the projects are started.

La Nang said that the new government led by President Thein Sein was going against the people’s opinions. The KIO will always oppose the dam, he said, and all Burmese should join it in opposition to the project.

The Myitsone Dam project was started in December 2009. The dam site is 27 miles upstream of Myitkyina in Kachin State. The project is a joint undertaking by the Electrical Power No. 1 Ministry and the China Power Investment Corporation, which is owned by the Chinese-government. China will receive the bulk of the electricity generated by the project.

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