The chairman of a parliamentary environment committee has expressed support for resuming work on the Chinese-backed Myitsone dam on the Ayeyarwady River, three members of the Pyithu Hluttaw have revealed.
On September 30, 2011, President U Thein Sein suspended work on the controversial project for the term of his presidency, in a decision greeted by national acclaimthat followed widespread and escalating protests.
U Lun Thi, the chairman of the Pyithu Hluttaw Natural Resources and Environment Conservation Committee, expressed support for resuming work on the dam during a meeting in Nay Pyi Taw on December 4 with members of a counterpart committee from China’s National People’s Congress, or parliament, the three MPs told Mizzima.
The three, U TheinLwin, U Thein Yi and U Min Thu, are members of the committee, which arranged the meeting to discuss the conservation of the environment and endangered wildlife.
“Our chairman said this hydropower project had to be suspended because of the instigation of the international community and people from outside,” U Thein Yi (Htantabin constituency), quoted U Lun Thi as saying.
“He added that the project could be resumed after conducting a survey and report on its environmental impact and benefits by an independent, international standard consultancy,” he said.
U Thein Yi said he believed that U Lun Thi made the comments because he wanted to demonstrate the friendship between Myanmar and China.
U Min Thu (Ottarathiri constituency), said U LunThi had said there were ways in which the project could be resumed.
“But he said it would be impossible to resume work on the dam during the term of this President,” U Min Thu said.
U Thein Lwin (Chauk constituency) said there was no reaction from members of the Chinese committee when U Lun Thi spoke about resuming work on the dam.
“I think the Chinese guests did not expect this issue to be discussed at the meeting because Mr Lu Hau [the chair of the NPC committee] remained calm and relaxed,” U Thein Lwin said.
Work on the project to dam the Ayeyarwady River began at Myitsone, about 50kilometres upstream from the Kachin State capital, Myitkyina, in 2009. An agreement to build it was signed three years earlier by Myanmar’s Ministry of Electric Power-1 and the Chinese Power Investment Corporation. The Asia World company was also involved in the project.
The agreement provided for most of the electricity generated by the dam to be exported to China.
U Lun Thi served as Minister of Energy from 1997 to 2011 in the previous military regime.
