Mekong River Countries Face ‘Make or Break Moment’ Over Lao Dams

 
Mekong River countries face a “make or break moment” next week when they meet under a regional mechanism to discuss a defiant move by Laos to build a second dam along the major Southeast Asian artery, a global environmental group said Wednesday.

The Don Sahong hydropower dam project will be discussed at the June 26-27 ministerial-level meeting in Bangkok of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) – an inter-governmental agency made up of representatives from the four Lower Mekong nations Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

The project will be the second dam on the Lower Mekong mainstream, following the controversial Xayaburi dam that Laos has begun constructing despite opposition from neighboring Cambodia and Vietnam.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said in a report ahead of the MRC talks that the regional agency must “prevent unilateral interests from shattering regional cooperation and joint management of one of the world’s great rivers.”

It said time was running out to halt the two controversial dams that could do “irreversible damage” to food security and critically endangered river dolphins.

“The MRC joint decision-making process was effectively broken in 2012 when Laos decided unilaterally to proceed with Xayaburi dam, against the express wishes of Vietnam and Cambodia,” said Marc Goichot, WWF-Greater Mekong’s sustainable hydropower expert.

“The meeting in Bangkok is the make or break moment for the Mekong river. It’s not too late to suspend Xayaburi dam construction before irreversible harm occurs early next year.”

Laos announced its decision in September last year to proceed with the Don Sahong dam, bypassing the MRC’s consultation process.

“Mekong countries must urgently get the MRC back on track and resolve ambiguities over the consultation process,” Goichot said.

‘Perilous state of cooperation’

The MRC’s Joint Committee failed in January to reach agreement on whether or not the Don Sahong dam is required to undergo regional decision-making, and elevated the decision to the ministerial meeting.

“The impasse over Don Sahong dam shows the perilous state of cooperation in the Lower Mekong,” Goichot said.

“The Mekong is a shared river and the four countries are bound by the MRC agreement to reach decisions jointly on dams that impact their neighbors.”

Without effective regional cooperation, WWF said, the food security for more than 60 million people would be “in jeopardy.”

The Don Sahong dam will be built at the downstream end of the Hou Sahong channel, which runs about five kilometers  (about three miles) between the major islands of Don Sahong and Don Sadam.

The dam threatens the Mekong’s critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphins and will block the only channel available for dry-season fish migration, putting the world’s largest inland fishery at risk, WWF said.

To date, close to 150,000 people have signed WWF’s petition calling on the Malaysian dam builder, Mega First, to pull out of the project.

Infrastructure work in full swing

Construction of the Don Sahong dam is scheduled to begin later this year but infrastructure work has been going on for some time.

A site visit early this month by another global green group, International Rivers, confirmed that workers have begun construction of a bridge connecting the mainland to Don Sadam Island, the group said in a report Wednesday.

The bridge will create an access route for construction on the Hou Sahong Channel, it said.

Villagers around Don Sahong were informed in November 2013 that they would be resettled to make way for the dam, but do not yet know when they will be moved, creating a feeling of uncertainty regarding the future, International Rivers said.

While fishing has been banned on the Hou Xang Pheuak channel flanking the Hou Sahong channel to allow for Mega First to work on creating a fish passage, no compensation or livelihood restoration has been provided for families who can no longer depend on the significant source of income derived from the river, according to International Rivers.

"Continued construction towards the Don Sahong Dam is an unwelcome déjà vu for Mekong communities and governments as Laos continues to move forward unilaterally with decisions which threaten the entire region,” said Pianporn Deetes, Thailand Campaign Coordinator for International Rivers.

“The risks go well-beyond the borders of Laos – the Don Sahong Dam will irreversibly impact livelihoods and food security throughout the Mekong.

“There are at least 65 million people in the four countries using the Mekong River,” Deetes told RFA’s Lao Service. “Now we are trying to let people and society widely know that the Mekong is at risk and want them to understand and express their voices to decision makers to understand that this is a huge issue in the region.”

The WWF urged Mekong ministers to defer a decision on Lower Mekong main stem dams for 10 years to ensure critical data can be gathered and a decision can be reached using sound science and analysis.

Lotus season photo ops bring fringe business opportunities

Recently, many people, especially the young, have been taking the opportunity of the season to visit lotus ponds surrounding West Lake to enjoy the beauty and snap photos. Since many are willing to pay for extra services, a mini-industry has built up around the phenomenon.
Entrance fees can often range from VND20,000-VND30,000 (USD0.94-USD1.41), but can reach as high as VND50,000 (USD2.35) on the weekend.
An anonymous ticket seller at a lotus pond near the West Lake Water Park said that they have regularly been getting around 500 visitors a day since the beginning of June. Visitors often come in early morning and in the mid-afternoon.Ticket sales for lotus ponds around the West Lake have been a great boon for the owners in recent years. However, extra services are also sprouting up this year, including costume leasing, make-up and photography services.

Young women tend to like taking photos in Yếm đào, a Vietnamese garment, usually in pink, and summer skirts. Rental fees for these clothes is usually around VND100,000 (USD4.71). In addition, costumers are charged the use of props, make-up services and photography.
Many tea stands have also popped up around these areas to quench the thirst of the clients in the summer sun.On average, a visitors to pay a combined VND200,000 (USD9.42) to VND400,000 (USD18.85) each for such an excursion, not including entrance and parking fees.
Discounts are often given to regular customers and those who use package services.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Austrian library holds evidence of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa sovereignty

The event came with China increasing its assertiveness over the East Sea with the illegal placement of its oil rig Haiyang Shiyou – 981 in Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone in early May.Besides the legal basis enshrined in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to which Vietnam and China belong, Vietnam’s sovereignty over the islands has been traced back to the 1460 – 1497 period under the reign of King Le Thanh Tong, when it began commercial activities in the area. This was also reconfirmed by France in 1884, said Dr. Afred Gersti.
In his 45-minute report, Gersti made it clear that China’s self-claimed nine-dot line is far from its actual legal exclusive economic zone, under the terms of UNCLOS.

He presented a full analysis of the rig’s location, and actions taken by East Sea claimants such as Vietnam, China, the Philippines and stakeholders like the US, Japan, India and Russia. He lauded Vietnam for its wise response to the incident so far.Beyond that, ASEAN’s role in settling the East Sea tension and the regional impact of the forthcoming Trans-Pacific Partnership deal were also discussed.A majority of attendants expressed hope for a peaceful solution to the tension.
Since early May, China has illegally operated the rig and a large fleet of armed vessels, military ships and aircraft in Vietnam’s waters.

Despite Vietnam’s protests, China has expanded its scale of operation and moved the rig to 15 degrees 33 minutes 36 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees 34 minutes 11 seconds east longitude, which is 60 nautical miles deep inside Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.
As of June 15, China kept over 120 ships of all kinds around the rig, including 36-40 coast guard vessels, over 30-32 cargo liners and tugboats, six military ships and 45-50 fishing vessels. A Chinese military aircraft has also been flying over and around the rig at a height of 500-700m.

Chinese tycoon offers free lunch and cash to U.S. poor

 
Eccentric Chinese tycoon Chen Guangbiao took out a full-page bilingual advertisement in the New York Times, inviting underprivileged Americans to a charity lunch and offering cash handouts.

According to Chinese media reports, the ad appeared in the New York Times print edition on Monday, announcing that Chen would host a charity luncheon at New York Central Park's Loeb Boathouse on June 25 for 1,000 "poor and destitute Americans". Each participant would also receive $300.Chen, who is known for theatrical philanthropic stunts, has a photo of himself in the ad placed side-by-side with a picture of Lei Feng, a Chinese soldier from the Mao-era who is celebrated as a selfless model citizen. The title above the images says, "China's 'Lei Feng for a new era.'"

Chen said he was hoping the lunch would show the U.S. that there are Chinese philanthropists.

"There are many wealthy Chinese billionaires but most of them gained their wealth from market speculation and colluding with government officials while destroying the environment. I can't bear the sight of it," Chen told the South China Morning Post.Making his fortune from recycling domestic waste and construction materials in China, Chen has been in the media spotlight in recent years for his dramatic publicity stunts promoting philanthropic causes. He arrived at the scene of the 2013 Lushan earthquake in Sichuan just hours after the disaster took place and personally handed out cash to the victims. 

Chen has also tried unsuccessfully to buy the New York Times as part of his ongoing campaign to develop closer ties between U.S. and China. He recently expressed a desire to reignite discussions to buy the paper's opinion section and fill it with articles about environmental protection and charity.

Founder of the Huangpu Renewable Resources Utilization Group, Chen has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to various charitable causes over the years and has made it more than once onto Forbes' list of Asia's leading philanthropists.But not everyone is taken with Chen's flashy generosity.

Jeremy Goldkorn, director of Chinese media research firm Danwei, says: "Chen is a clown whose so-called philanthropy appears to consist entirely of self-promotional stunts like giving handouts of cash in Taipei and New York, and cans of air to people in China."Goldkorn has also tweeted that Chen is the "greatest insult to the Chinese people."Other critics find it difficult to take Chen seriously when his English namecard lists an absurdly long string of self-aggrandizing titles, including "Most Charismatic Philanthropist of China."