Six Months on, No Response to Experts’ Sesan Dam Letter

More than two dozen fisheries experts from across the world have sent a letter of concern to the prime minister and Council of Ministers warning that if construction of the Lower Sesan 2 dam goes ahead as planned, it would negatively impact hundreds of thousands of people and jeopardize a number of Millennium Development Goals. Sent in September and obtained yesterday, the letter outlines the ramifications of the dam, including the impact on fish migration and food security. But six months after its delivery, the letter appears to have made little impact, with Council of Ministers officials and Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cabinet saying they were not aware of the letter. … The letter gives further credence to mounting concerns over the Lower Sesan 2 dam, said Kirk Herbertson, Mekong campaigner for environmental group International Rivers. …