For your information:
“We Refuse to be Resettled by the Lower Sesan 2 Dam”
On 29th September 2014, the villager went to Stung Treng hall (Sala Khet) to submit an open statement to H.E. Mr. Kol Samol, Chairperson of the Committee for Solving the Impacts of the Lower Sesan 2 Hydropower Dam Project, announcing that they refuse to be resettled by the project. Unfortunately the H.E. Kol Samol, provincial governor was not at office and administration office of Stung Treng Hall cannot accept the statement and informed them to come again on 1st October. So they submitted through email first via email
On 1st October, community went to Stung Treng hall (Sala Khet) as their promise commit to submit their open statement to H.E. Mr. Kol Samol. However the result was as same as on 29th September that H.E. Kol Samol, provincial governor was still not at office and administration office of Stung Treng Hall still said the same that they cannot accept the statement because of the absent of H.E. Kol Samol. Community will try to submit their statements to the governor directly again.
Even their statement could not reach the Provincial governor of Stung Treng but communities were not giving up to publicly announce their voices, instead they spread out through Media, email and through other social medias. There’s several Medias release news related to community submitting letter such as, Phnom Penh Post, Radio Free Asia, The VOA.
Remember that;
Kbal Romeas Village, along the Srepok River in Kbal Romeas Commune and Srekor village, along the Sesan River in Sreko commune in Sesan District, Stung Treng Province in Cambodia will be flooded by the Lower Sesan 2 Hydropower Dam (LS2) under construction in the province. Most villagers belong to the ethnic of Lao and Phnong minority and have been enjoying a life blessed with rich natural resources and cultural traditions.
According to the 2010 EIA, LS2 will flood five villages in four communes and displace approximately 5,000 villagers in more than 1,000 households, including many ethnic minority families. A number of studies and research reports point out, however, much more serious negative impacts both domestically and regionally, including fish depletion and loss of livelihood among local communities.
In the past, affected communities, including Kbal Romeas and Sreko, have asked the project developers, a joint venture of China’s Hydrolancang and Cambodia’s Royal Group, to hold meetings for meaningful discussion over the project and its impacts. However, the project’s construction has already started and the resettlement and compensation policy has been released without prior consultation and consent from affected villagers.
In statement, Lao and Phnong villagers claim that their life and tradition are strongly connected to the land and other natural resources found in Kbal Romeas and Sreko Village and that relocation to a new site leads to the loss of access to these natural resources as well as their identity as the Lao and Phnong ethnic minority. Villagers see this as a base to refuse to be resettled from Kbal Romeas and Sreko Village. They also point out that the project is violating various standards, including international laws on Indigenous Peoples and Chinese government’s Guidelines for Environmental Protection in Overseas Investment and Cooperation. Villagers are thus requesting that the Committee and Cambodian authorities should have sincere discussion with them over their concerns and give serious response to them.
LS2 reportedly has gone through design changes in its structure. Villagers are also asking the developers to confirm this publicly and conduct new EIA based on the redesigned project. They are also demanding full community participation in new EIA processes.
More detail please read the statements are available here, Sreko (Khmer, Chinese and English), Kbal Romeas (Khmer, Chinese and English), or access to 3SPN website: www.3spn.org
Sources: www.3spn.org
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