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. …
