Cambodian Native Groups Fight Loss of Land to Dam Project

 

Cambodian groups are asking the government to stop the controlled flooding of their villages as a hydroelectric dam goes into operation.

The floodgates of the Lower Se San 2 hydropower dam are being closed and water levels are rising in Stung Treng province. In time, many villages will be under water.

The villages are in eastern Cambodia near a river that flows into the Mekong, one of Southeast Asia’s longest rivers.

Some villagers unhappy with relocation

Government officials have urged people living in the area to move to new homes set up for them.

Many people have already accepted compensation plans. But, about 143 families remain. They say they stay where they have lived for generations. They also argue they want to remain near the burial places of their ancestors.

The villagers have called on Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Ministry¹ of the Interior to help them.

A group from the village of Kbal Romeas and an ethnic² minority recently met with an official of Cambodia’s interior ministry in Phnom Penh.

The group said they did not want to leave their homes. Instead, they wanted the government to give them official recognition of their ownership of the land.

Some people have willingly moved. Sah Ponh took a compensation offer and left Stung Treng province.

“If we do something wrong, we pray in accordance with our traditions,” he said. “And we pray so that we can be recovered.”

He used to be a fisherman. But many people in the area say fish catches have decreased on the river.

So, Sah Ponh has built a new business selling household goods.

He said he is doing well.

“Before I could not transport any goods. Now I can. The truck can get into our home to transport goods. Whatever I need, they can reach my home.”

But not everyone from the flooding villages is happy about having to move.

Sah Ponh’s brother says the government wants to move them to poor quality land.

“I really don’t want to live there. The situation is difficult, there’s not enough water. It’s mountain land and it’s rock and sandy and very difficult to do agriculture,” he said.

Yun Lorang is a secretary-coordinator for the Cambodian Indigenous³ People’s Alliance. He is one of several activists⁴ who has been calling on native, or indigenous, people to reject compensation and fight relocation efforts.

He said relocation will result in the death of native ways of life and their connection with the land.

Dam provides electricity but hurts local fishing industry

The dam is estimated to have cost more than $800 million. It is to be Cambodia’s biggest dam producing 400 megawatts of electricity.

However, the dam will flood 335 square kilometers and with it the way of life of many native people.

Environmentalists argue that the dam will affect the local fishing industry.

A report published in the Proceedings⁵ of the National Academy of Sciences in 2012 warns of a drop in fish stocks. It says the Mekong River will lose more than nine percent of its fisheries because of the Lower Se San 2 dam.

An environmental study sought by the developer of the dam and approved by Cambodia’s government also found problems. In 2010, it said that fish populations would be severely⁶ hurt because the dam would block migratory⁷ species of fish.

A debate continues over whether the economic gains and electricity produced by the dam will be greater than the loss of fish and water.

The Ministry of Mines and Energy has not answered requests for comments about the project.

Cambodia’s energy needs are increasing quickly. The dam is supposed to provide electricity for five Cambodian provinces. The project is a joint⁸ effort by Cambodian, Chinese and Vietnamese companies.

I’m Mario Ritter.

Words in This Story

compensation –n. payment of some kind given in return for damage or a loss of some kind

relocate –v. to be moved to a new place

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

3 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

4 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

6 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

7 migratory   

n.候鸟，迁移

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• This does not negate the idea of migratory aptitude.这并没有否定迁移能力这一概念。

8 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。