Villagers Pray to Spirit to Delay Dam Construction
More than 500 villagers from Stung Treng and Ratanakiri provinces held a traditional sacrificial ceremony yesterday, calling on a local spirit to help in postponing the construction of a 400-megawatt hydropower dam in Stung Treng’s Sesan district. Siek Megong, Srekor commune chief, said the villages ... urged the deity to look after more than 1000 families who will be displaced by the Lower Sesan 2 dam. “We are concerned about being displaced without getting proper compensation from the government”, Mr. Mekong said. ... The ceremony participants travelled along the Sesan river in boats holding banners that read “The River is the People’s Blood” and “ The River Belongs to All, Not to Private Companies.” Studies maintain that that the dam could adversely affect fisheries and water resources. ...
