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Burma disagrees with MoU on water



Subject: Burma disagrees with MoU on water

/* Written  3:13 pm  Sep 26, 1993 by tun@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx in igc:reg.seasia */
/* ---------- "Burma disagrees with MoU on water" ---------- */
Subject: Burma disagrees with MoU on water


The Nation, Sept. 23, 1993

Burma disagrees with MoU on water
by Pichaya Changsorn

  The joint Thai-Burmese Committee to develop the Salween River last week
failed to agree on the "equitable use of the water," which Burma felt
should be rewritten in the draft agreement.
  Assistant General Manager of the Electricity Generating Authority of
Thailand (EGAT) Sommart Boonpiraks told the Nation that Burma was not
willing to agree to conditions regarding equitable use of the water in a
draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) prepared by EGAT.
  "Burma told the committee that this project is huge and that a lot of
money needs to be invested.  Whether they will decide to go ahead with the
project depends mainly on the feasibility study, " Sommart, who is  with the
Hydropower Development Department, said.
  The draft MoU was sent to Burma in June.  A meeting last week of the
committee was called to determine the Burmese government's feeling on
joint development of the Salween River.
  The northern border river separates Thailand and Burma.  Full of water
all year round, the river has the potential for large hydro power plants. 
It can also be diverted to top up the falling water supplies in the
Bhumipol Bam.
  According to Sommart, Burma last week did not present any new positions
and that the feasibility study agreed upon earlier would go ahead.
  "I found out later that Burma is not satisfied with certain conditions
written in the MoU, especially on the "equitable rights to use water,"
Sommart said.
  Burma implied that the two countries should not have equal rights to use
water from the Salween, Sommart said.  He said Rangoon had told Egat in a
previous letter that five per cent of the Salween River Basin is situated
in Thailand, 42 percent in Burma and 53 per cent in China.
  What Burma really wants, Sommart said, is to "sell" water resources to
Thailand.
  Prive Minister Chuan Leekpai, during his visit to Laos in June, signed
an MoU with Vientiane to buy 1500 megawatts of hydro-power electricity
from Laos over the next 10 years.
  Meanwhile an Egat source said that if a river is an international
waterway, countries bordering it are entitled to use its water provided
that consumption does not exceed 50 per cent of the total supply.  
  Sommart also said that U Thein Tun from Burma's Energy Planning
Department told him during last week's meeting that Burma doesn't need
water from the Salween.
  "He said that Burma has no irrigation areas in the Salween River Basin. 
Therefore, if Thailand does want the water we can get, but for a fee,"
Sommart said.
  Burma had earlier said it would take only two or three months to examine
the MOU, "but two months have passed and nothing has happened," he complained.
  Foreign Minister Prasong Soonsiri who led the Thai delegation at the
talks with Burma last week also urged the Burmese prime minister to hasten
the process.
  Two weeks ago during an official visit to Bangkok, U Khin Muang Thein,
Burma's energy minister, said the Burma planned to build a 6000 megawatt
hydro power dam, of which 5000 megawatts of electricity would be sold to
Thailand.
  Other points of the draft MOU are:
  -Thailand and Burma will explore the development of water resource
projects on the Salween River for hydro electric power generation, which
will include a water sharing scheme;
  -The Thai government will buy the output of the hydropower station, at a
capacity and price to be determined by the authorities of both countries;
  -The two countries will have equal rights to use the water, either
storing it or releasing it from projects;
  -final decisions of the projects, the sources of investment, terms of
sales and administration will be made after the feasibility study is
completed.