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Saturday, July 26, 2014

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Opponents Seek to Halt Dam Construction on Salween River

Posted: 25 Jul 2014 08:35 PM PDT

A viewpoint at Thailand's Ban Mae Sam Laep on the bank of Salween River, which demarcates the Thai-Burma border. (Photo: Saw Yan Naing / The Irrawaddy)

BANGKOK — Activists, researchers and environmentalists from Burma and Thailand met on Friday to find a way to stop hydropower dams planned on Burma's section of the Salween River, one of Asia's last free-flowing rivers.

Originating from the Tibetan Plateau, the Salween is Southeast Asia's second longest river. It flows roughly 2,400 kms through China, Thailand and Burma to the Andaman Sea, crisscrossing many of Burma's ethnic minority areas, where it provides food and jobs.

Campaigners say six dams in Burma, being developed jointly by Chinese, Thai and Burmese investors, threaten the future of local people and the rich biodiversity of the Salween basin. China is also planning 13 dams on the upper Salween.

The Burma dams, with a combined power generation capacity of around 15,000 megawatts, are also located in former or current conflict zones. This has raised concerns of renewed or increased fighting between the army and ethnic rebels over natural resources, undermining ongoing efforts to achieve nationwide peace.

Burma's powerful military is also involved in the dam projects. Growing militarization, illegal logging, land grabs and forced labor already affect communities in the dam areas—and those who voice opposition are threatened, say Shan and Karen campaign groups.

In addition, most of the electricity produced would be exported to China and Thailand, leaving little for energy-starved Burma, while ethnic minorities who are already marginalized would be left with a degraded river and environment.

"There is no local participation, no transparency and no benefit to the local people. The dams just lead to more fighting and human rights abuses, and villagers have to relocate," said Sai Khur Hseng, general secretary of Ethnic Community Development Forum (Burma), an alliance of ethnic organizations across the country.

"How do you measure the value of what all the people are relying on? You cannot measure the value of culture, religion [or] biodiversity," added Khur Hseng, who is also coordinator of the Shan Sapawa Environmental Organization.

Partly due to its remote location, the Salween River is less well known and populated than the Mekong, its big brother. Still, 6 million people, mostly ethnic and religious minorities, live in the Salween watershed and depend on the river for jobs and nutritious food, according to WWF.

These minorities are already neglected in China, Burma and Thailand, said Pianporn Deetes, campaign coordinator for environmental group International Rivers (IR) in Thailand.

"There is no spotlight on the area and it's easy for investors to exploit it. The voices of the marginalized ethnic [people] who will bear the cost of the dams are not heard," she said.

A petition with over 33,000 signatures calling for a halt to the dams was released on March 14, the International Day of Action for Rivers and against Dams. Campaigners also raised awareness during the Asean People's Forum in March, an event bringing together civil society from the 10 countries that make up the Asean regional bloc.

"Two months after that, the building of Kun Long dam was discussed in [Burma's] Parliament, and it sounded like they are going to go ahead," said Saw Thar Phoe of Karen Rivers Watch (KRW). "Whether they don't hear us or they are not listening, we do not know."

In September 2011, Burma's President Thein Sein suspended the Chinese-led Myitsone dam, Burma's largest hydropower project, after weeks of public outrage. Myitsone is located at the source of the Irrawaddy River, considered a lifeline for the country.

"For the ethnic groups in the east of Myanmar, the Salween plays the same role as the Irrawaddy," said IR's Deetes.

Carl Middleton, a former campaigner with IR who now lectures at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, said it was "highly likely" people living along the Salween would be worse off after the projects—both materially and culturally.

"While promises are often made from dam developers to support affected communities, the track record in the region for livelihood replacement programs is not good," said Middleton, who is organizing a research conference on the Salween in November.

Given that the Salween dam deals were signed with the Burmese junta, who ruled the impoverished Southeast Asian country with an iron fist for almost half a century, Burma's new quasi-civilian government should reconsider them, campaigners say.

There is no river basin authority and no agreement between the countries on how to develop and sustain the river, however, and activists are now mulling a legal challenge.

In June, a Thai court accepted a lawsuit against the government-owned Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) and four other state bodies for agreeing to buy electricity from a controversial hydropower dam being built in neighboring Laos. Activists say the Xayaburi project threatens the livelihood of tens of millions who depend on the river's resources.

"Even if we cannot stop the dam, even if they find other buyers or funders, it's unprecedented that transboundary impacts are now officially recognized. We're working with the same group of lawyers to prepare similar stuff for the Salween dams," said IR's Deetes.

EGAT's international arm is involved in at least two out of the six planned Salween dams in Burrma.

The post Opponents Seek to Halt Dam Construction on Salween River appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (July 26, 2014)

Posted: 25 Jul 2014 07:30 PM PDT

Ooredoo SIM Cards to Go on Sale in Less Than a Month

Qatari company Ooredoo is planning to end Burma's long wait for affordable mobile phone services next month, according to Mizzima.

"We will be selling our SIM cards in the third week of August, but for now we cannot confirm what the calling rates will be," Mizzima quoted the company's public relations manager Thiri Kyar Nyo as saying.

In a statement Thursday, the company said it had begun trialing its network with local distributors, six of whom have been named as the company's partners in different regions of the country.

More than a year ago, Ooredoo and Norway's Telenor were named as the winners of a highly competitive tender to be the first private operators in Burma's telecommunications sector.

Burma's only existing mobile phone operator, the state-owned Myanmar Post and Telecommunications (MPT), has recently teamed up with Japanese companies KDDI and Sumitomo, who have announced plans to invest US$2 billion to modernize MPT's services and compete with the newcomers.

MPT has historically restricted the distribution of SIM cards so not to overload its limited network, driving a black market on which people paid hundreds of dollars each for SIM cards.

But as the foreign operators get closer to selling their SIM cards, which are expected to cost 1,500 kyat, or about $1.50, MPT has increased the supply through lotteries and prices have fallen.

According to Eleven Media, MPT is currently preparing to finally put SIM cards on general sale.

"We are planning to change the sale plan of CDMA 800 MHz and GSM SIM cards. When we have finished making arrangements, we will announce the time to start it," said MPT General Manager Khin Maung Tun, according to Eleven.

Bangkok Airways Plans Chiang Mai Links to Burma: Report

Thai airline Bangkok Airways is planning to launch flights connecting the northern Thai tourism hotspot of Chiang Mai with Burma's two biggest cities, according to the Bangkok Post newspaper.

A report on Thursday cited "insiders" saying the privately owned airline wanted to tap into the market created by the growing number of people flying into Burma.

"[Bangkok Airways] will offer four flights per week on the new Chiang Mai-Yangon route and three a week on the Chiang Mai-Mandalay service," the newspaper said.

At present, only Tay Za's Air Bagan flies between Rangoon and Chiang Mai, operating two flights per week.

However, Burmese airline Air Kanbawza has also declared plans to fly between Rangoon and Chiang Mai, as well as Mae Sot, a town on the eastern side of the Burmese-Thai border. Local carrier Asian Wings has also launched flights between Chiang Mai and Mandalay.

"Bangkok Airways is already the largest provider of flights from Thailand to Myanmar, operating three routes from Bangkok to Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw with a combined 40 flights a week," the Bangkok Post said.

Regional Approval Slows Onshore Oil and Gas Contracts

The companies named in October as winners of 13 onshore oil and gas exploration blocks are still waiting to sign agreements with the government so they can start work.

According to The Myanmar Times, the deals have already been agreed by the Myanmar Investment Commission and the Cabinet, but still need to be approved by regional authorities.

The newspaper said the original deadline for the signing of the contacts was in June.

"The contracts for the onshore blocks are going to be signed at the end of month," it quoted Win Maw, deputy director general of the Energy Ministry's Energy Planning Department saying. "If not, it cannot be later than early August."

Malaysia's Petronas, ONGC Videsh Limited of India, Eni of Italy and Canada's Pacific Hunt Energy Corp were among the companies named as winners of 10 production sharing contracts and three Improved Petroleum Recovery agreements in the onshore tender.

In March, Burma also named the winners of 20 offshore blocks, including deepwater areas that will be explored by companies including Anglo-Dutch firm Royal Dutch Shell, France's Total, Norway's Statoil and ConocoPhillips from the United States. The contracts for those blocks have also yet to be signed.

Forbes Reports Problems for Burmese Tycoon Tay Za

Burma's most notorious "crony" is under increased scrutiny from the US government over his apparent involvement in North Korean arms deals, according to Forbes magazine.

Tay Za and his companies appear on the US Treasury Department's Specially Designated Persons list because the US government believes he acted as an arms dealer for Burma's former military regime.

A story about the businessman, which was published online this week and appears in the Aug. 18 issue of Forbes Asia, includes an interview with Tay Za and details of financial documents shown to the magazine.

Singapore's United Overseas Bank (UOB) wrote to Tay Za in April to inform him it was closing nine of his bank accounts, it said.

"The letters gave no explanation, and UOB did not respond to a request for comment, but Tay Za says the bank became nervous after American officials raised questions about transfers he made to companies in China with alleged links to North Korea," Forbes reported.

In the article, Tay Za admits that he made $300 million of financial transfers on behalf of the Burmese government, but claimed he had no choice in the matter. "Whatever the government requests, I have to handle," he was as quoted saying.

Reports also emerged this week that suggest TayZa is offloading his majority stake in Asian Green Development Bank, the bank he founded in 2011. The grandsons of Burma's late dictator Gen. Ne Win said they will buy at least 60 percent of the bank, although Tay Za himself and officials at the bank have not confirmed the news.

In the Forbes article, Tay Za complained that his businesses are suffering as a result of American sanctions.

"For example, he says, he may be forced to shut down his Air Bagan airline, which has lost about $90 million over the past couple years, in part because he is not allowed to buy American-made spare parts at market prices," he said.

The post The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (July 26, 2014) appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

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Saturday, July 26, 2014

The Irrawaddy Magazine

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