Protest over Sino-Cambodian dam: Phnom Penh arrests 11 activists
Phnom Penh (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Phnom Penh authorities have
arrested 11 environmentalists, for having prevented a group
of officials visiting a town in
the southwestern province of
Koh Kong, where a
Sino-Cambodian dam is being planned. The arrest took place yesterday and involved the president of
Mother Nature Cambodia, Alejandro
Gonzalez Davidson, a well-known environmental activist. They blocked
the provincial governor Phon
Lyvirak and a group of Chinese experts from
Sinohydro Corp from arriving at the planned site for the Chhay Areng
dam.
Koh Kong police chief, Sam Kitviet, told Radio Free
Asia (RFA) that
the 11 were "invited"
for questioning, denying that they were
an arrested. So far the authorities have released only Gonzalez, a
Spanish citizen, while 10 others
remain in custody.
The farmers wanted to prevent officials of
the Chinese giant Sinohydro Corp
- the company
building the world's largest hydro power plants - from
reaching the construction site, to
assess the environmental impact of the
facility. In fact, they do not
believe that the study will be fair
or impartial, but instead favor the economic interests and industrialists.
Environmentalists claim the dam will wipe out the local culture and biodiversity in the Areng Valley; the 108
megawatt dam will have a "very
high" cost in terms of investment
and its environmental impact. The
survival of the Chong minority, whose
territories will be inundated
by the waters, is also at risk. This is
why they say they will fight and to continue to do so in the future, risking "intimidation or arrest."
Last weekend a group of farmers and monks launched
a hunger strike in front of the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh to protest against
the construction of the dam. However,
the authorities - Cambodia is China's most faithful ally in Southeast Asia -
immediately intervened to disperse
the crowd. Ly
Chan Neng, a monk
and activist, confirms the
concern of the villagers for
the possible destruction of the
ecosystem of Areng Valley,
a real treasure of environmental harmony and natural
diversity.
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