(December 7, 2005) Press Statement:The President of Egat Plc announced on December 6, 2005, plans to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Burmese military regime on joint investment in constructing a series of five hydro-electric dams on the Salween and Tenasserim (Tanao Sri) Rivers.
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Environmental awareness and anger grow in China
(December 4, 2005) Much of China watched in horror as work crews struggled to contain the recent benzene spill that polluted the northeastern Songhua River and disrupted drinking water supplies to about 12 million people in the region for more than a week.
Son La hydroelectric project set to begin construction
(December 2, 2005) Construction begins on Southeast Asia’s largest hydro dam which is expected to impoverish more than 90,000 ethnic minority people who will be flooded off their land.
Prime Minister: Son La should narrow development gap with other provinces
(December 1, 2005) Prime Minister Phan Van Khai talks up the Son La hydroelectric power project, expected to be the biggest of its kind in Southeast Asia, with a forecast capacity of 2,400 MW.
Applying the Odious Debts Doctrine while Preserving Legitimate Lending
(December 1, 2005) Abstract: Odious debts are debts incurred by the government of a nation without either popular consent or a legitimate public purpose. While there is some debate within academic circles as to whether the successor government to a regime which incurred odious debts has the right to repudiate repayment, in the real world this is not an option currently granted legitimacy either by global capital markets or the legal systems of creditor states.
Environmentalists lose the dam battle in Laos
(December 1, 2005) Opponents argue that little money generated by the dam will reach the poor and much will be pocketed by communist party chiefs. Corruption is rife in Laos and the country’s legal system is renowned for being underfunded with limited powers.
Applying the Odious Debts Doctrine while Preserving Legitimate Lending
(December 1, 2005) Odious debts are debts incurred by the government of a nation without either popular consent or a legitimate public purpose. While there is some debate within academic circles as to whether the successor government to a regime which incurred odious debts has the right to repudiate repayment, in the real world this is not an option currently granted legitimacy either by global capital markets or the legal systems of creditor states.
Zimbabwe’s ‘elections’
(November 30, 2005) Only about 15 percent of registered voters turned out for Saturday’s parliamentary "elections" in Zimbabwe. The vote was quiet and orderly, with Zimbabweans registering their opposition to their leader, Robert Mugabe, by staying home.
World Bank backs $100m Iraq loan
(November 30, 2005) The World Bank has approved a $100 million loan to Iraq to help reduce overcrowding in the country’s schools.
Risky times for hard news and views
(November 30, 2005) New York City: After this year’s International Press Freedom Awards dinner, a former reporter remarked to me the honorees’ inspiring stories made her "think about getting back into real journalism again," with her accent on "real." "Me, too," I responded spontaneously, feeling unusually humbled by the realities of many of our overseas colleagues.
Zimbabwe turnout hits a record low
(November 29, 2005) Only one in five eligible voters cast a ballot in Saturday’s elections in Zimbabwe, a record low turnout that opposition leaders and political analysts called a sign that the nation has lost faith in the ballot box as a means to battle the harsh rule of President Robert Mugabe.
US labels Zimbabwe Senate election a ‘nonevent’
(November 29, 2005) In a sign of growing U.S. animosity toward Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, a senior U.S. official dismissed as “a nonevent” last weekend’s Senate poll victory by the ruling party in the southern African nation.
Mugabe’s party sweeps Senate poll
(November 28, 2005) President Robert Mugabe’s party in Zimbabwe has won all but seven seats in a controversial new Senate, crushing the challenge posed by a severely weakened opposition party, final results showed on Monday.
Mugabe poll win marred by Zimbabwe voter apathy
(November 28, 2005) President Robert Mugabe tightened his grip on Zimbabwe on Monday with victory in a Senate poll seen by critics as a mere formality, but analysts say low voter turnout showed deepening dissatisfaction with his 25-year rule.
MRD urges Obasanjo to apologise, quit
(November 28, 2005) Northern political elements, who seek to regain power from the South, are turning up the heat on President Olusegun Obasanjo’s alleged scheme to succeed himself.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
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Probe Media
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Probe International 