Hundreds Protest Lao Dam Project

The Venerable Sann Leang, executive director of NGO Environmental More than 500 villagers held a march in eastern Cambodia Friday to protest a controversial dam project on the Mekong River in Laos they say is undergoing construction despite a pledge to halt progress while officials conduct a potential impact study. The protest against the U.S. $3.8 billion Xayaburi Dam, in the capital city of Kompong Cham province, was led by monks and included students, activists, and staff from a number of nongovernmental organizations. The group called on the leaders of the four Southeast Asian nations downstream from the dam—Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam—to put an end to construction at the site, citing concerns that the project would negatively impact millions of people in the region and irreparably damage the environment. Development and an organizer of the march, said the villagers sought to raise awareness of the negative impacts of the dam, which he said would include the destruction of natural resources that riparian communities rely on to make a living.

“We are raising awareness for the people who live in Kompong Cham province near the Mekong River.”…the monk said. …

http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/dam-06292012165509.html