NGÔ THẾ VINH
To the Friends of the Mekong & VN 2020 Mekong Group
“Normally, before we start blasting the riverbed, the Lao tradition
is to ask the spirits in the area to forgive us for disturbing the river,”
said Viraphonh Viravong, deputy minister of Energy and Mines, the chief technocrat
behind the project.
“A Lao energy official says construction on the Pak Beng dam is pending
approval from the government. Developers of the second dam proposed on the Mekong
River in Laos have completed the design and impact assessment for the project
and are awaiting the government green light to proceed with construction.”
XAYABURI: THE FIRST DOMINO TO FALL
On Wednesday, November 7, 2012, Rewat Suwanakitti, the Deputy Director of the
Xayaburi hydroelectric dam project, announced that the ground breaking ceremony
for the building of the dam has been conducted because: “The Lao authorities
told us that we could begin construction.” One day prior [Tuesday
Nov. 6, 2012] the Prime Minister of Laos, Thongsing Thammavong, confirmed with
the Wall Street Journal that the project was suspended pending further study.
(11)
Clearly, this represents a breach of faith of a prior agreement Laos entered
with her neighbors of the Mekong region. On a previous occasion, Viraphonh Viravong,
the Lao Vice Minister of Energy and Mines, told reporters: “It has
been assessed, it has been discussed the last two years. We have addressed most
of the concerns.” (10)
