Phnom Penh, 2 March 2012 — Early on 28 February 2012, communities living along two rivers affected by a mega hydro-electric dam project in Stung Treng province gathered to perform a religious ritual and peacefully protest against the project. The Lower Se San 2 Dam is planned to be built by Electricity of Vietnam on the Se San river. It will severely affect the livelihoods and lifestyle of communities living along the Se San and Srey Pork rivers, displace them from ancestral land, and flood thousands of hectares of forest and farmland.
On 28 February, six hundred people led by community representatives gathered in Srey Kor commune, Se San district, Stung Treng province. About 400 participants were from Srey Kor village, 34 from Kbal Romeas village, 62 from Rattanakiri province, and 100 from the Kampun and Phume Phluk communities. They gathered to worship Neakta—a protective spirit—and asked her to protect people living along the rivers. In particular, they asked Neakta to keep the river’s ecological balance and fish stock.
They also asked the authorities to respond to their requests about the planned dam and prayed for officials and stakeholders to have pity on them and withdraw the construction project.
At 7:00am, they wrapped pieces of clothes around their heads and wrists and sailed down the river with two large and thirty smaller boats, displaying banners which read “The river belongs to us all” or “The river is the flesh and blood of the people.” Later on, at the Neakta site, people wrapped scarves around holy trees.
Ten days earlier, Mr. Seak Mekong, a Srey Kor representative, had filed an application for the demonstration, but the District and Provincial Governors had refused to authorize it and threatened to crack down on protesters. People then sought ADHOC’s help. ADHOC provided legal advice to affected communities on two occasions, on 23 and 25 February respectively.
On 28 February, the police tried to prevent the event from taking place, but people protested, saying that they could not discontinue it because of its religious character. As ADHOC, other civil society organizations and media reporters were present; the police did not crack down on participants. ADHOC monitored the behavior of the authorities throughout the event, and continues to do so. So far, no arrests, summons or threats have been reported.
On 29 February, community representatives travelled to Phnom Penh to meet with members of the Parliament. The latter rejected the villagers’ request to halt the construction project.
ADHOC calls on Cambodian authorities to conduct an in-depth social and environmental impact assessment and open consultations with all affected communities. In particular, stakeholders must pay attention to the cultural value of the area and make sure people’s concerns are taken into account.
At any rate, affected communities must be informed of the time frame for the project and be able to discuss resettlement possibilities. Lastly, if the dam is built and communities relocated, Cambodian authorities have a duty to provide them with fair and adequate compensation.
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Ny Chakrya, Head of Monitoring Section at ADHOC: 011 274 959
Mr. Nicolas Agostini, Technical Assistant: 078 405 024
