Victory for Burma reformers over dam project

Work on £2.3bn Myitsone dam halted after Burma’s president says he has to ‘act according to the desire of the people’ Burma will suspend a massive Chinese hydropower project on the Irrawaddy river after the country’s president joined a chorus of concerns raised by environmentalists, democracy activists and tribal militias. The proposed halting of the $3.6bn (£2.3bn) Myitsone dam is a remarkable step for a government that has long ruled by military fiat, but appears this time to have put public and ecological concerns ahead of economic priorities and the interests of its powerful neighbour. In a rare concession to opposition groups, President Thein Sein informed parliament on Friday that construction of the 3,600MW project on Burma’s most important river should be in halted because it was against the will of the people. The decision will be seen as a victory for Aung San Suu Kyi , the leader of Burma’s pro-democracy opposition. In August, the Nobel laureate called for the plan to be reassessed and greater efforts be made to protect the Irrawaddy and the interests of people who would be affected. Chief among them are the residents of the Kachin region, which would have been flooded by a reservoir the size of New York City, forcing the displacement of 10,000 people and submerging important cultural sites. Earlier this year, the Kachin Independence Organisation broke a 17-year-ceasefire after warning that it would fight to block the project. Environmental groups warned that the dam, which was to be built by the China Gezhouba Group on the confluence of the Mali and N’Mai, would inundate one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots and pose a major risk in the event of an earthquake. The Burma Rivers Network, an NGO which represents communities along the river, released what it says is a leaked environmental assessment jointly commissioned by the Burmese and Chinese authorities that recommends scrapping the project. There has clearly been a tussle inside the government over the issue. Earlier this month, the minister for electric power, U Zaw Min, insisted the plan would go ahead. Senior environmental officials, however, have urged caution. Thein Sein may be taking a risk with the announcement. His government took over this year from the junta that ruled Burma for decades and is still thought to be under the influence of the military. Burma Aung San Suu Kyi Jonathan Watts guardian.co.uk

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