Construction of the dam at the confluence of the Irrawaddy River, which is a tourist spot, was inaugurated today at noon in Burma’s northern Kachin State by the ruling junta’s Minister of Electric Power No. 1, Col Zaw Min, even as students put up anti-dam posters, said local sources.
The inaugural ceremony was held at Lahpe, the proposed dam construction site, 22 miles north of Kachin State’s capital Myitkyina between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Burma Standard Time. The ceremony was held a week earlier than originally scheduled on December 28, said sources close to those who attended.
Officials of the two dam construction contractors---Burma-Asia World Company and China state-owned China Power Investment Corporation (CPI), along with senior officials of the junta’s two Ministries--- Minister for Electric Power No. 1 Col Zaw Min, Minister for Energy and Post, Communication and Telegraph Brig-Gen Thein Zaw and Northern Regional Commander Maj-Gen Soe Win attended the ceremony, said company sources.
Col Zaw Min officially announced the start to the construction at noon. After the inaugural ceremony by the ministers three fireworks lit up the sky. About a 100 people were forced to attend the ceremony
Dozens of civilians from the dam project site were forced to attend today’s ceremony at Lahpe on orders of Myitkyina Township Administrative Office or Myitkyina Township Peace and Development Council (Ma-Ya-Ka), said local villagers.
About thirty five villagers near the river confluence village Tang Hpre, 27 miles north of Myitkyina were also forced to attend the inaugural ceremony, a villager told KNG.
Two days before the inaugural ceremony, villagers in Lungga Zup, Alam, Dum Gan, Ubyit and Tang Hpre were forced to clear bushes and trees on the new road joining the inaugural hall in the dam site to the main road--- Sumprabum, said villagers.
Today morning, students put up 500 anti-dam posters in Myitkyina and the dam project sites. The posters hand-written in black soft pen on A-4 size paper mentioned two factors---the scrapping of the dam on the Irrawaddy Myitsone (confluence) and that Asia World Company and CPI are unwanted, said Mr. Zau Shawng, leader of the poster movement.
In Myitkyina city, the anti-dam posters were pasted on walls at the entrance gates to No. 1 and No. 5 State High Schools, clock tower near the No. 1 State High School, the city electricity office, roadside electric poles and roadside walls, according to students, who are part of the movement.
The posters were also pasted in the villages in the dam project sites like Tang Hpre, Ubyit, Dum Gan, Alam and Lungga Zup, added student leader Zau Shawng.
Zau Shawng said, students pasted 300 posters in Myitkyina city and another 200 posters were pasted in the areas and villages in the dam project sites. The anti-dam poster movement was organized by All Kachin Students Union (AKSU), an underground ethnic Kachin student organization in Kachin State.
Kachin people have been opposing the construction of the dam at the Irrawaddy confluence for many reasons. It also relates to the ancient Kachin civilization and the beauty and natural heritage. However the main Kachin organizations like Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), former New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K), former Lasang Awng Wa Peace Group and Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) have been silent and there have been no official objections on the issue, said sources in the organizations.
The Myitsone dam project has been under joint inspection by the CPI and Asia World Company since 2006. The official agreement for implementation of the dam was signed by officials of junta and CPI in Beijing on June 21.
According to the agreement of the Asia World Company and CPI, the Myitsone hydropower project is one of seven hydropower projects in Mali Hka River and N’Mai Hka River and Irrawaddy River in Kachin State, and it is estimated to generate a total of 3,600 MW of electricity.
