Cc: Executive Directors, The World Bank,
Mr. Jemal ud-din Kassum, Vice President, East Asia and Pacific Region, the World Bank
Mr. Haruhiko Kuroda, President, Asian Development Bank
Executive Directors, Asian Development Bank
Mr. Jon Sigurdsson, President, Nordic Investment Bank
Mr. Philippe Maystadt, President, European Investment Bank 

We are writing to urge the World Bank to decide against providing guarantees and credits for the Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Project in Laos. Mekong Watch, FoE-Japan and JACSES, three Japanese NGOs, are sending this letter endorsed by 150 civil society organizations from 42 countries. We believe that not only does this project fail to meet the World Bank’s environmental and social standards, the World Bank’s decision framework for the Nam Theun 2 Dam has not yet been fulfilled.

Details are explained in the attached letter.

The negative track record of other dam projects in Laos and the Lao government’s failure to transparently manage revenues and respect the rights of its people provide a strong indication that the costs of Nam Theun 2 will dramatically outweigh and potential benefits. In addition, there is no evidence that the impacts of the project on local communities and the environment can be successfully managed. If approved, this project would set a dangerous precedent for the World Bank’s high risk/high reward strategy, and would risk the lives and livelihoods of tens of thousands of poor Laotians. Please see the attached letter for details and we await your action and response. Sincerely,

Satoru Matsumoto
Representative Director
Mekong Watch
1-20-6 2F Higashiueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Tokiharu Okazaki
Executive Director
Friends of the Earth-Japan
3-17-24 2F Mejiro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo

Yuki Tanabe
Program Coordinator of Sustainable Development and Aid Program
Japan Center for a Sustainable Environment and Society (JACSES)
5-2-32 2F Minami Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo