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China detains journalist who documented labour camp abuses, Tiananmen crackdown accounts
(June 12, 2013) Beijing-based photojournalist Du Bin has been detained by Chinese state security officials after he disappeared following the release of his documentary on Chinese labour camp abuses — profiled here by Probe International last month. His sister, high-profile human rights activist Hu Jia, says Du is being held because his work directly challenges the authorities: “They are suppressing him to send a message to others,” she says. Gillian Wong reports for the Associated Press. Continue reading
Uprooted
(June 14, 2013) Yang Yi’s surreal photo memoir of his childhood home, flooded for the construction of China’s Three Gorges Dam project, received special mention as one of New York’s Best Weekend Art Events in May when it debuted at Galerie Richard. Its run ends tomorrow, June 15. Continue reading
Posted in China's Dams, Three Gorges Probe, Voices from China
Tagged Three Gorges Dam, Uprooted, Yang Yi
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NY regulators approve Fortis takeover of CH Energy, with advice to “understand our rules and regulations”
(June 13, 2013) The New York state Public Service Commission unanimously approved the $1.5 billion bid by Canadian-based Fortis Inc. to take over Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp.’s parent company, CH Energy Group despite “fierce public hostility.” Commission Chairman Garry Brown warned Fortis to avoid looking at the local utility as a profit-generating holding. “Get to know New York,” he advised Fortis. “The way you may do things, business, elsewhere is not New York,” in a probable reference to Fortis’s controversial record of dam-building in Belize. Continue reading
Fortis proposed buyout of NY utility jeopardized by corporate reputation
(June 12, 2013) As Canadian electric utility holding company Fortis Inc. awaits a decision on its proposed $1.5-billion buyout of New York’s CH Energy Group, a coalition of groups opposed to the takeover see Fortis’ past performance in Belize and British Columbia as a warning of what may lie in store for them. Probe International provides a round-up of reports on the controversy. Continue reading
$45.5 million of Three Gorges relocation fund misused: audit
(June 8, 2013) China’s national auditing watchdog says millions of yuan intended for Three Gorges Dam migrants were misappropriated and used for projects that had nothing to do with relocation. Continue reading
Posted in Three Gorges Probe
Tagged audit, Corruption, Dai Qing, He Kechang, Migrants, Three Gorges
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Funds misused in Three Gorges Project
(June 8, 2013) Funds intended for Three Gorges migrants were misappropriated while funds for geological disaster prevention and ecological protection were mismanaged, says China’s National Audit Office. Continue reading
Posted in Dams and Earthquakes, Three Gorges, Three Gorges Probe
Tagged audit, Corruption, geological problems, Migrants, RIS, Three Gorges
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Small dams an even bigger dam problem, say researchers
(June 1, 2013) New research from Oregon State University reveals small dams are no easier on the environment than their larger counterparts and often present more of a threat to their surroundings. The comparison between 31 small dams built on tributaries to China’s Nu River and four large dams proposed for the main stem of the same river, found the effects of the smaller dams were worse for nine out of the 14 characteristics studied. Habitat loss and damage at several dam sites show that the environmental effects of small dams are often greater, sometimes by several orders of magnitude. “A lack of regulation paired with a dearth of communication between small dam projects in China allows for the effects to multiply and accumulate through several dam sites,” say researchers. Continue reading
