Cambodia’s parliament OKs dam compensation plan
Cambodia’s energy minister allayed concerns in parliament over inadequate compensation offered to villagers who face relocation for a proposed China-backed dam on a Mekong River tributary, saying the government has allocated to villagers more than four times the area taken over for the project. Minister of Mines and Energy Suy Sem was summoned to the National Assembly to answer questions on government policy related to the 400 megawatt Lower Sesan 2 hydropower dam, which would be constructed along the Sesan River in northeast Cambodia’s Stung Treng province. … National Assembly spokesperson Chheang Von said that lawmakers on the whole accepted Suy Sem’s two-and-a-half hour explanation of plans to compensate villagers, the dam’s construction process and its impact on the environment. … Studies have suggested the Lower Sesan 2 project in Stung Treng could displace 5,000 people and adversely affect 100,000 more through a more than 9 percent drop in fish stocks in the Mekong Basin. Suy Sem’s explanation to parliament marked the first time the National Assembly, which opposition lawmakers have boycotted since disputed elections in July last year, has summoned a government minister to answer questions on national policy. During the session, Suy Sem acknowledged that the dam would impact the environment, but assured lawmakers that studies would be done ahead of its construction. The minister pledged to provide relocated villagers with 1,000 square meters (10,760 square feet) of land to build new homes and 5 hectares (12 acres) of land for each family to grow crops. … He added that around 910 hectares (2,250 acres) of villagers’ land will be affected by the project, but the government has reserved about 4,060 hectares (10,030 acres) as compensation. …
Joshua Lipes
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/dam-06192014195419.html
