• Burmese
Saturday, June 14, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
26 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Concerns Grow After Govt Confirms Massive Dam Project in Southern Shan State 

Lawi Weng by Lawi Weng
September 19, 2014
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
Concerns Grow After Govt Confirms Massive Dam Project in Southern Shan State 

Shan villagers attend a meeting in Kunhing Township on Aug 15 to discuss the plans for a massive dam in their region. (Photo: Nang Wah Nu/Facebook) 

11k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

RANGOON — A Shan lawmaker said her constituents in southern Shan State are growing increasingly concerned over a government plan to build an enormous hydropower dam in the region, after a cabinet minister earlier this week confirmed that Burmese, Chinese and Thai companies have government support for the construction of a 7,000-megawatt dam.

Nang Wah Nu, a Lower House lawmaker from the Shan Nationalities Development Party (SNDP), said villagers from Kunhing Township had expressed concerns to her over the massive project after they spotted Burmese and foreign workers at the proposed construction site on the Salween River, located on the border of Mong Tong and Kunhing townships.

“Local villagers told me that they heard that many villages will be destroyed [by the dam], including ancient Shan pagoda’s and stupas. They are asking me: ‘What can you do about it?’ I told them I would ask about it in Parliament,” said Nang Wah Nu.

RelatedPosts

Is TNLA, Under Chinese Pressure, Conceding Northern Shan Gateway to the Regime?

Is TNLA, Under Chinese Pressure, Conceding Northern Shan Gateway to the Regime?

June 13, 2025
322
Untested Commander Takes Charge as Myanmar Military Faces Toughest Challenge in Decades

Untested Commander Takes Charge as Myanmar Military Faces Toughest Challenge in Decades

June 13, 2025
424
Myanmar Tourism Sector Mocks Junta’s Russia Tourist Drive

Myanmar Tourism Sector Mocks Junta’s Russia Tourist Drive

June 13, 2025
271

She said preparatory project activities were occurring ever closer to the villages in Kunhing, adding that company workers were seen several times in recent months.

“The villagers told me they could not travel near the [project] area because the Burma Army tightened security there, but the locals know that project work has already started,” Nang Wah Nu said.

The project was located close to areas of control of the Shan State Army-South, she said, adding, “Fighting could break out if the government does not discuss this project with the rebels.”

The project is one of at least seven dams that have been planned on the Salween River in eastern Burma in the past decade; all projects are controversial due to their expected impacts on ethnic minority communities and a lack of information.

This week, Nang Wah Nu asked the government about the status of the project in her constituency and expressed the residents’ concerns about its impact.

Deputy Minister of Electrical Power Maw Thar Htwe said in a reply on Tuesday that the government remained committed to a military regime-era deal from 2010 that grants the project contract to the China Three Gorges Corporation, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) and Burmese joint venture partner International Group of Entrepreneurs (IGE) Co. Ltd.

He said the dam’s massive reservoir would flood about 676 square km of low-lying farmland and forest, but attempted to assuage concerns over its heavy social and environmental impacts.

“We will present details later about the cost of the project after we have done a study about environmental and social issues,” state-run media quoted the minister as saying. He added that Australia’s Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation had been contracted to carry out a social and environmental impact study.

“The electric hydropower generated by the dam will be used in the country and any excess power we will sell to neighboring countries,” he said.

Nang Wah Nu, the Shan MP, said she remained deeply worried about the dearth of information about the possible eviction of thousands of ethnic Shan villagers from their homes and farmlands if the project goes ahead.

“No one knows yet how much of paddy field, forest, and properties of the people will be damaged as there is no study yet,” she said, adding that it remains to be seen whether local villagers are properly consulted and compensated for loss of land.

“They should tell the locals what opportunities they will get from this project. They have to provide [relocation] space for the locals and pay them compensation if the project destroys their property,” she said.

According to Thailand-based NGO Salween Watch, the dam would be funded by China Three Gorges Corporation and EGAT, with the latter taking a 56-percent stake in the project.

State-owned China Three Gorges Corporation was responsible for the controversial Three Gorges Dam in southern China that displaced some 1.3 million people. IGE Co Ltd is a conglomerate with business interests in banking, timber, oil, gas and mining, and is owned by the sons of Aung Thaung, the Ministry of Industry under the previous regime and currently a lawmaker with the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

IGE has been working on a number of controversial dam projects in northern Burma, while EGAT has been involved in hydropower projects in Burma and Laos that aim import energy to Thailand but will have severe social and environmental impacts on local communities.

Salween Watch has said that Burma’s government has been working on plans for the massive project, believed to be the tallest dam project in Southeast Asia, since the mid-1990 when it was called the Ta Sang dam. At the time, it led to large-scale militarization and an increase in conflict and human rights violations in southern Shan State.

In recent years, the project location was moved further upstream and work quietly resumed in 2012.

Hydropower projects are highly controversial in Burma due to their heavy environment and social impacts, while many large projects are located in ethnic conflict areas in northern and eastern Burma. A lack of information often surrounds the projects, many of which were first planned during the military regime and involve Chinese state-owned or Thai companies, and joint ventures with companies owned by Burmese tycoons.

Your Thoughts …
Lawi Weng

Lawi Weng

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang
Burma

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang

by Hein Htoo Zan
November 28, 2023
98.3k

Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army troops are opening roads and pathways through forests for people to flee Kokang’s capital as...

Read moreDetails
Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public
Burma

Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public

by The Irrawaddy
February 7, 2024
89.3k

People’s Defense Force says junta troops told every household in the village to send one member to witness the double...

Read moreDetails
Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State
War Against the Junta

Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

by The Irrawaddy
November 29, 2023
87k

Brotherhood Alliance member says it now has complete control of Kokang’s northernmost section after the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion 125...

Read moreDetails
Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks
Burma

Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks

by The Irrawaddy
December 4, 2023
59k

The junta said deserters would not be punished for minor crimes, highlighting the military’s shortage of troops as resistance offensives...

Read moreDetails
As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue
Burma

As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue

by The Irrawaddy
April 19, 2024
46.8k

The junta’s No. 2 has not been seen in public since April 3, sparking rumors that he was either gravely...

Read moreDetails
Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow
Burma

Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow

by The Irrawaddy
February 12, 2024
44.7k

Ethnic armed grouping says it will continue Operation 1027 offensive until goal of ousting the junta is achieved. 

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
A Winning Formula at Rangoon’s The Lab

A Winning Formula at Rangoon’s The Lab

The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (September 20, 2014)

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Will Myanmar’s Military Replace Its Embattled Leader?

Will Myanmar’s Military Replace Its Embattled Leader?

1 week ago
2.5k
How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

2 days ago
931

Most Read

  • Civilians in Need as Arakan Army Advances on Kyaukphyu

    Civilians in Need as Arakan Army Advances on Kyaukphyu

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Advances into Karenni State

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Jade Hub Burns as Junta Counteroffensive Penetrates Hpakant

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • China Defends Myanmar Junta on Human Rights at UN

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Untested Commander Takes Charge as Myanmar Military Faces Toughest Challenge in Decades

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.