(December 22, 2002) Unless China wants to appear heavy-handed, it should reconsider its go-it-alone approach in Mekong hydropower development plans.
Leading scientists warn about impacts of Three Gorges dam
Three prominent scientists who took part in the environmental impact assessment conducted by Chinese researchers 15 years ago for the Three Gorges project still stand by the conclusion of that study, which raised serious concerns about building the dam, a Chinese publication reports.
Judge orders public hearing on Canadian-backed dam
Belize’s Supreme Court has recommended public hearings on a controversial plan by Newfoundland-based power company, Fortis, Inc., to build a 50-metre high dam in the rainforest of this tiny Central American country.
Lesotho in bid to stamp-out corruption
(December 19, 2002) The Lesotho government has set-up an anti-corruption department to root-out corruption in that country.
Ecology in the Three Gorges: problems and uncertainties
(December 19, 2002) ‘Many Chinese scientists agree that building the Three Gorges dam will accelerate environmental degradation in the reservoir area and in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze,’ China’s News Weekly magazine reports.
Senate panel wants dam plans scrapped
(December 19, 2002) Human rights abuses ‘likely to increase.’
Congress approves anti-corruption bill
(December 19, 2002) Phillipines legislature approved yesterday a bicameral report on a landmark anticorruption measure which rewrote the rules for major contracts and hopes to put in place transparency and integrity in government transactions.
Supreme Court Ruling This Week on Controversial Canadian Dam
The Supreme Court of Belize will rule this week on a case challenging government approval of a Canadian-backed dam that would flood one of the last undisturbed river valleys in Central America.
Peru hopes to enhance anti-corruption cooperation with
(December 18, 2002) Peruvian Prime Minister Luis Solari on Tuesday expressed the hope that the two countries could enhance exchanges and cooperation in the fight against corruption, drug trafficking and other crimes.
Sixty-nine organizations from Thai and Burma call for stop to Salween dam
(December 18, 2002) We have learned that the plans to build dams on the Salween River in Shan State and on the Thai-Burma border have been revived by the Thai company MDX, and an MOU will be signed to build the Ta Sang Dam in Shan State on December 20, 2002. EGAT is also now pushing the Thai government to discuss the building of two dams on the Thai-Burma border with the Burmese government.
Kenya election payments row
(December 18, 2002) The presidential candidate of the leading opposing grouping in next week’s general elections in Kenya, Mwai Kibaki, has accused the government of making suspicious payments to some contractors.
Bribery case: Application dismissed
(December 18, 2002) The Lesotho High Court dismissed three applications on Wednesday brought by the former head of the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority challenging his conviction for multi-million rand bribery and fraud.
Big landslide in new settlement of Badong
(December 18, 2002) Residents were moved out overnight from a dangerous part of the new county town of Badong in the Three Gorges area after a big landslide last week, Hubei Daily (Hubei ribao) reports. The landslide started moving quickly on Dec. 9, the newspaper said in its Dec. 14 report. The mass, about 250 metres long and 100 metres wide, contained 150,000 cubic metres of mud and rock, and moved three metres in just three hours, the newspaper said. Crops and trees were damaged, but there were no reports of injuries, it said.
A Flood of Disappointment
(December 16, 2002) Despite mountains of scientific studies and millions of dollars invested in high-profile rural development programs, the LHWP has made beggars of displaced Highlands people like Mamolupe Tsalong.
Three Gorges area flooded with rat poison
A sweeping campaign to exterminate rodents in the Three Gorges area is getting under way at a time of heightened concern about the easy availability of rat poison in China, and its frequent use in murders and suicides.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
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