A plea for Xayaburi

A plea for Xayaburi

On behalf of an alliance of civil society organisations working to protect and restore river ecosystems and river-based livelihoods in Cambodia, we are calling on the Thai and Lao governments to immediately halt all construction work on the proposed Xayaburi hydropower project in Northern Lao PDR.

We believe that if the dam goes forward it will have irreversible negative impacts.

We urge Prime Minster Yingluck Shinawatra to take responsible action by decisively cancelling the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the Thai company Ch Karnchang.

Furthermore we urge Ms Yingluck to order Ch Karnchang to stop all construction activities until further studies are conducted.

We also urge Ms Yingluck to order Ch Karnchang to carry out a transboundary impact assessment for the project, which is an international best practice for a project of this nature on a shared river. Ch Karnchang should also ensure that consultations take place with the public, particularly with people whose livelihoods are dependent on the Mekong River and the Tonle Sap Lake.

Lastly, if Ch Karnchang refuses to do this, we urge the Thai government to block the loans of the four major Thai banks (Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn Bank, Krung Thai Bank, and Siam Commercial Bank) financing this project.

As a shared river, we hope that Ms Yingluck will uphold Thailand's responsibility to protect the Mekong, as our common future depends upon the rich ecosystem services the river provides many of us on a daily basis.

Chhith Sam Ath, Executive Director of the NGO Forum on Cambodia
Chea Phallika, Coordinator Rivers Coalition in Cambodia


ANOTHER HAND FOR THE BAND

I enjoy the cultural (of sorts) page from Andrew Biggs in Sunday Brunch and was not disappointed by the one last Sunday in which he pointed out the total lack of interest from the media and the Ministry of Culture for the truly remarkable feat achieved by the Siam Sinfonietta Orchestra in a very competitive musical environment in Vienna. This is of course a tribute to Somtow Sucharitkul, Thailand's resident maestro who created the group, but also to those talented young Thai musicians who performed so well and won a prestigious award.

It is unbelievable that the people at the Ministry of Culture have ignored this achievement and, moreover, that the trip had to be sponsored by a company dealing in alcoholic drinks. In this age of all out-commercialism, sponsorship by private companies is unavoidable, but in this case the irony is plain. I don't wish to take anything away from the Thai athletes doing their utmost in London, but it is just sad to see the contrast between the way these two groups of young people have been treated.

Sagittarius


THAKSIN'S TAXIS TAKEN IN

Like most foreigners in Thailand I have been lectured many times by taxi drivers about how Thaksin Shinawatra has helped the poor people from the countryside. Well, about 25 years ago, when metered taxis were first introduced here, I paid 58 baht to get from my home to my office in Bangkok every morning.

Now I pay 64 baht, an increase of 10% over 25 years, using the rates set by the Ministry of Transport.

In the meantime, the cost of living has more than doubled, as has the cost of fuel. I wonder how the poor taxi drivers can make a living, and I always feel guilty and leave them a decent tip. While in power, Thaksin managed to amass an enormous fortune by manipulating share prices, but during that time he did absolutely nothing to help the impoverished taxi drivers.

Your excellent columnist Voranai Vanijaka has explained it very well. It's ''us and them'' - puak rao gab puak man - a sense of class, or regional, distrust, and Thaksin exploited it perfectly, knowing where to buy influence at the lowest price, even at the risk of destabilising his own country. But if I were a taxi driver, I would want to know who is actually ''us'' and who is ''them''.

Colin Campbell


CONTACT: BANGKOK POST BUILDING
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