The Irrawaddy
September 15, 2006

Rights activists are calling on the Thai government and investors to withdraw their support for the construction of a dam on the Salween River in Burma’s Shan state, claiming the work will disrupt the lives of people living in the area.

Ethnic conservationists and rights activists called on the Thai government and investors on Friday to withdraw their support for the construction of a dam on the Salween River in Shan State, claiming the work will disrupt the lives of people living in the area. A co-coordinated campaign of protests outside Thai embassies in several countries is to be organized on September 21, it was announced at the launch in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand, of a report on the controversial project. “We want the Thai government and Thai investors to stop supporting a project which will permanently displace thousands of our people,” said Sai Sai of the Shan Sapawa Environmental Organization at the launch. The report, entitled “Warning Signs: An Update on Plans to Dam the Salween in Burma’s Shan State,” was based on research and interviews in the area. The group warned that the completed dam would flood an estimated 870 square kilometers, displacing thousands of people.