November
2000 - January 2001, Vol. 9.
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Contents:
1. “STOP JAPANESE INVOLVEMENT
IN THE TASANG DAM PROJECT”-
2. TASANG DAM PROJECT IN
3. APPEAL FOR ELECTRIC POWER
DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD.’S WITHDRAWAL FROM TASANG HYDROELECTRIC POWER GENERATION
PROJECT (
4. “REGIONAL COOPERATIVE
DEVELOPMENT FOR THE SALWEEN RIVER” - Tsuyoshi Hashimoto: Paper presented in
1995 at the Asian Water Forum,
5. “
Japan Policy Research
Institute (JPRI). [Summarised by
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1. STOP JAPANESE GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT IN THE TASANG
DAM PROJECT (
The Japanese government may
become the main financier of the highly controversial Tasang Dam, to be built
on the
Please send polite but strong
letters to the Electric Power Development Corporation as well as
For more information, feel
free to contact:
Tamaki Ohashi,
e-mail: [email protected]
or [email protected]
Tel: +81 3 3832 5034; Fax: +81 3 5818 0520; Mobile phone: +81 70 5008 6864
Address: Maruko Bldg 5F,
Basic Background on Tasang
Dam
Main developer:
Financier: Not yet known. The Japan Bank for
International Cooperation has been approached but no commitments have yet been
made.
Location: Southern Shan State on
Purposes for building the dam:
Hard currency for
the military regime in
Electricity
for
Scale of project:
Three billion US dollars is a rough estimate for technical aspects only. This does not include environmental or social
impact mitigation measures. This project
will require public funds from either
6,400 megawatts. Among the top five largest hydropower dams in the
world.
530 square kilometer reservoir.
200 meters tall. Will
be the tallest in
Problems:
·
Forced
relocations of villages around the dam site and in the projected 530 square
kilometer reservoir area have already begun.
·
Forced labor is
being used by Burmese battalions brought into the area surrounding the proposed
Tasang Dam site.
·
Forced relocation
and forced labor are almost always accompanied by violence, including beatings,
rape, and extrajudicial killing.
·
Local communities
have no right to participate in decision-making processes, making meaningful
local consultations impossible in the current situation.
·
A complete
environmental impact assessment is probably impossible (it is conceivable that
battalions would be used to protect those doing the environmental impact
assessment as well, also leading to further human rights violations).
·
Foreseeable
environmental impacts include a significant change in river flow and ecological
balance, leading to the possible extinction of species downstream and in the
reservoir area; increased salinity in the delta region; deterioration of soil
in delta region due to increased salinity.
·
Even if
agreements were made with the military regime in
Basic Facts Regarding Electric Power Development
Corporation (EPDC)
·
EPDC was formed
as a result of legislation, and 66% of its stocks are owned by the Ministry of
Finance (MOF). In order to do any
activity overseas, it is required to obtain permission from the Ministry of International
Trade and Industry (MITI) in consultation with MOF.
·
EPDC was
subcontracted by
·
EPDC has
submitted its feasibility study report to GMS Power, and it is now in the final
stages of revision. Whether or not it
will be made public is up to GMS Power.
·
EPDC claims its
engineers were not able to tell if there were human rights violations occurring
in connection to the project when they conducted the feasibility study, though
they were aware that the military had been brought in to secure the area.
·
EPDC claims no
responsibility for the human rights abuses, as it was “only a
subcontractor.” Their intention is only
to provide a technically accurate feasibility study as agreed with their
client, GMS Power.
EPDC
has put in a bid to conduct the detailed design (D/D) for the Tasang Dam.
If EPDC is contracted to do
the D/D, it is an indication that further funding for the project could come
from Japan, either through the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC)
or MITI's trade insurance; both means are outside
(and thus avoid) the ODA framework.
MITI
has not yet given permission for EPDC to conduct the D/D.
EPDC is planning to privatize
by the year 2002, and its international activities are part of broadening its
capacity to make it more competitive in the international arena.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
Contact your networks and
write polite but strongly worded letters to EPDC, MITI, and MOF. Please send copies of the letters to MOFA and
Mekong Watch
Basically, the letter to EPDC
should strongly encourage them to withdraw from the bid for the D/D and refrain
from any further involvement in the Tasang Dam project. The basic message in the letters to the
ministries should urge them to have EPDC withdraw from the bid for the D/D, and
if it does not, to refrain from giving permission for it to conduct the D/D
even if it wins the contract. The
ministries should also be reminded of the ILO resolution and emphasize that
SUGGESTED POINTS TO INCLUDE IN LETTERS:
Any specific and persuasive
additional information or remarks are useful, but if the basic elements listed
below are included, it is sufficient.
To
EPDC:
You realize that EPDC has
done the feasibility study and is bidding for the D/D.
Strongly encourage EPDC to
withdraw from the process.
Reasons for withdraw:
·
Further
participation in this project will damage EPDC’s
international reputation.
·
Forced labor and
forced relocation in the area around the Tasang Dam project site have already
been documented (do NOT accuse EPDC of directly using forced labor
themselves. There is no evidence of this
whatsoever).
·
By knowingly participating
in a project which clearly involves severe abuses of human rights, EPDC cannot
sever itself from responsibility.
·
Due to the recent
ILO decision, to continue involvement would violate the resolution since it is
clear that forced labor, as well as other human rights violations,
are linked to this project.
To
Ministry of International Trade and Industry and Ministry Of Finance:
Express grave concern regarding
Japanese government involvement in the Tasang Dam project, both as a potential
financier and by allowing EPDC to conduct the feasibility study.
·
To allow the EPDC
to go forward with the D/D would invite international criticism as well as
violate the ILO resolution.
·
In light of the
ILO resolution, to allow EPDC to conduct the D/D, or to provide finances for
the Tasang Dam (multilaterally or bilaterally) would automatically link
·
Urge the
ministries to communicate to EPDC the necessity to withdraw its bid for the
D/D.
·
Insist that
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR LETTERS:
EPDC:
Mr. Hiroshi Sugiyama
President
Electric Power Development
Corporation
Ministry of International Trade and Industry:
Mr. Takeo
Hiranuma
Minister of International
Trade and Industry
Ministry of International
Trade and Industry
Chiyoda-ku,
Ministry of Finance:
Mr. Kiichi
Miyazawa
Minister of Finance
Ministry of Finance
Chiyoda-ku,
Ministry
of Foreign Affairs:
Mr. Yohei
Kono
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Chiyoda-ku,
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<Project
Overview>
Name: Tasang Hydroelectric Power Generation Project (
Output
Capacity: 6,400 Megawatts
Height: Approximately
200 meters (will be tallest in
Flood Area: At least 530
square kilometers
Cost: Approximately
US$3 billion (does not include environmental or social impact mitigation
measures)
Current
Status: Feasibility Study (F/S) has been completed.
Detail Design (D/D) bid in process.
Details: At least 66%
of the electricity produced is to be exported to
<Japanese
Involvement>
·
Electric Power
Development Company Ltd. (EPDC), a quasi-governmental Japanese corporation, was
subcontracted by Siam Power and Electric of Thailand to conduct the engineering
F/S (does not include environmental assessment) for the Tasang Dam. (Siam Power is a subsidiary of GMS Power
Public Co. Ltd.)
·
EPDC has
submitted its F/S report and has bid for the D/D. The result of the bid is still unknown.
·
In order for EPDC
to conduct projects outside of
·
In order for MITI
to give permission, it is required by law to consult with the Ministry of
Finance.
·
Who will finance
the Tasang Dam is yet unclear. The World
Bank,
<Human
Rights Abuses>
People who have fled from areas to be affected by the
dam have already spoken of various human rights violations occurring in the
area including:
·
Forced labor
(especially forced portering)
·
Militarization (villages
are often put under direct military control in the name of security for
overseas experts)
·
Forced relocation
of villagers
Other related issues in
·
No freedom of
expression
·
No participation
by populations affected by infrastructure projects
·
Continued armed
conflict between Shan resistance groups and the military regime.
·
Disregard by the
military regime of the 1990 democratic election where the National League for
Democracy and leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, would have gained control of the
government
<EPDC’s Position>
·
EPDC engineers at
the project site were unable to determine if forced labor or other human rights
abuses occurred at the F/S stage of the project.
·
EPDC was involved
in this project simply to conduct the F/S.
·
Facing
privatization, it is necessary for EPDC to promote its technical capabilities
in the international market.
·
Involvement in
the Tasang project does not violate the law upon which EPDC was founded.
<International
Factors>
World
Commission on Dams (WCD) and EPDC: According to guidelines issued towards the
end of the Final Report by the WCD released in London on 16 Nov 2000,
stakeholders must be able to participate in decision making at all stages of
dam development. EPDC is a member of the
WDC Forum (the advisory group to the WCD), and should therefore respect the
guidelines issued by the WDC.
International
Labor Organization: All members of the ILO are urged to
re-evaluate their relationships with the military regime in
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3. APPEAL
FOR ELECTRIC POWER DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD.’S WITHDRAWAL FROM TASANG HYDROELECTRIC
POWER GENERATION PROJECT (
To:
Mr. Takeo Hiranuma, Minister of International Trade and Industry
Mr. Youichi Miyazawa,
Minister of Finance
Cc: Mr. Yohei Kono, Minister of Foreign Affairs
As you are aware, human rights abuses ranging from
forced labor to extrajudicial killings are currently occurring in
The planned Tasang hydroelectric power dam is to be
approximately 200 meters tall, and a reservoir will flood an estimated 530
square kilometers (80% of
It is internationally recognized that human rights
abuse and environmental destruction in relation to infrastructure projects in
Following is a basic explanation of forced labor and
forced relocation in
Forced
Labor: Types of forced labor may
range from a day of cutting grass to weeks of hard physical labor such as road
construction or forced portering. Many of those forced to porter for the military
suffer violence at the hands of soldiers, and it is not unusual for them to
sustain serious injuries or even to be killed.
Being taken away for portering understandably
raises great fears. Forced portering in border areas, such as the Tasang area, has
been widely reported. Orders sent to
village heads demanding that a certain number of villagers be brought forward
for forced labor is just one example of how forced laborers are collected. If a fee is paid, one can avoid forced labor
orders. As a result, many young women
cross borders to find work in order to earn enough to send home so that their
brothers and fathers do not need to serve as forced laborers. But among the majority who do not have enough
money, some hide in the jungles while others flee to neighboring countries.
When forced to be a porter, it is necessary to bring
one’s own food, and not enough drinking water is provided. Loads may weigh
30-50 kilograms, and in areas thought to contain land mines, porters are made
to walk in front of soldiers as “human minesweepers.” Women are also sometimes forced to become
porters, and at night, soldiers often rape them. Due to the harsh and inhumane conditions in
which they are forced to work, porters quickly become weak. Rather than be sent home to rest and recover,
they are often subject to violence and are sometimes killed.
Including the area around the Tasang Dam site, when an
area is militarized, human rights abuses are committed. In order to strengthen the rule of the
military regime, forced labor is used as a strategy to make it very clear that
anti-junta activity will not be tolerated; forced labor, rape, violence, and
pillage are also used. For villagers to
provide any kind of support for armed resistance groups becomes impossible, as
forced labor severely disrupts their livelihood.
Forced
Relocation: Forced relocation is also used as a military strategy. In
Forced relocation connected to development projects
has also been documented. Forced
relocation occurred, for example, in the Yadana Gas Pipeline project, or even
in the renovation and “beautification” of Bagan,
famous for its many pagodas, in preparation for “Visit Myanmar Year”
(1996). Forced relocation has also been
reported in areas around the Tasang Dam site.
For details of forced relocation in
There are other issues to consider in relation to the
Tasang dam project. The end of the
report by the World Commission on Dams, in which the Japanese government was
also involved, cites that decision-making based on consideration of the rights
of and risks faced by stakeholders must be a basic principle for dam
development. However, if one examines the
reality in
EPDC also states that its engineers were not able to
tell if human rights abuses were occurring in the area at the study stage, but
this is unconvincing. When one considers
the routine nature of the use of forced labor by the military, it is a mistake
to think that the battalions dispatched to escort EPDC engineers to the project
site did not use forced labor.
We believe that EPDC, MITI, and the Ministry of
Finance did not intend to create a cause for the expansion and continuation of
human rights abuses in
As you may be aware, UNOCAL, the American company
involved in the Yadana Gas Pipeline project, is now facing a suit regarding its
responsibility for human rights violations connected to the project. Premier Oil, a British firm involved in the Yetagun Pipeline project, has been urged by the
In November 2000, the International Labor Organization
put into force a resolution on
Based on the above, we appeal to EPDC’s
supervising Ministry, MITI, and to the Ministry of Finance which is also
involved in the permission-granting process for the following points:
1.
To refrain from
granting permission to carry out the Detailed Design, if EPDC is granted the
bid,
2.
To refrain from
involvement in this project, be it through ODA, OOF, or executive agencies and
public corporations.
With an understanding of
In normal circumstances, local NGO’s and grassroots
organizations would be sending a letter of their own directly, but due to the
repression in Burma and the political sensitivity of Thailand, it is dangerous
for local groups to directly voice their opposition to this project. Therefore,
we hope to convey their concerns to you.
This letter is endorsed by the following organizations:
ADB
Friends
of the Earth, Japan
Jirai wo Nakusu Onnatachi no Kai (Women for the Eradication of Landmines)
Nihon Shohisha Renmei (
ODA Kaikaku Network (ODA Reform Network)
People’s
Forum on
Rivers!
Shinshutsu Kigyou
wo Kangaeru
Kai (Transnational Corporation Monitor)
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4. “REGIONAL COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT FOR THE
Tsuyoshi Hashimoto. Summary of a paper presented in 1995 at the
Asian Water Forum,
[
Plans
in progress
Development
of the
Who is doing this development
The
main stream of the
Physical Characteristics
The
Geo-political
Characteristics
According
to some rough estimates, there are approximately 2 million people living in the
“Of
the total catchment area of 320,000 km2, 53% is in
Hydropower Potential
“Hydropower
potential in
Developable Potential
“…Nippon
Koei- conducted series of independent studies for and in cooperation with
Myanmar Electric Power Enterprises (MEPE). “Another line of development is a
series of studies carried out by or for power generating agencies NEA and EGAT)
of
“A
Nippon Koei study in 1981 identified three potential dam sites in the
A
Thai version of the
Conditions for Water
Diversion from
...There exist at least two
broad opportunities for trans-basin diversion from the
Possible Scheme for
Diversion to
Diversion
of water in the
The proposal led to the Nippon Koei study in 1993 to
elaborate the idea and formulate a specific plan with preliminary
engineering... Although this diversion option was 'abandoned' later due to
insufficiency of data and information, results of the study are useful to
indicate the possibilities of this option... The total construction cost was
estimated to be US $1858 million at mid-1993 prices... The unit cost of water
to be diverted was calculated at US cent 18/m3, based on amortized construction
costs and annual operation and maintenance costs. This unit cost is still relatively low,
compared with current water charges in ASEAN countries.
Irrigation Potential
...In
In Thailand... additional irrigation areas may be
developed along the Mae Ping river, or the diverted water may benefit the
existing irrigation system in the central plains along the Chao
Phraya river by assuring the second rice crop which
is presently under threat... the diversion from Salween at 100 m3/sec during
the dry season or 1564 million m3 annually would be a significant contribution
to assuring the second rice crop in the Chao Phraya irrigation system.
Regional Development
Opportunities
... The technical assistance
(TA) project by the Asian Development Bank for Subregional
Economic Cooperation among
Opportunities for Benefit
Sharing
... Power benefits alone
would justify the active participation of
The middle-reach dam planned by Nippon Koei would
increase the dry season discharge of the
Another potential benefit of the
middle-reach dam is flood control... The basic idea of the trans-basin
diversion is to store floodwater during the wet season for use during the dry
season. Therefore, the amount of water
diverted should not affect the reduction of flood peaks or volume of floodwater
discharged downstream. If water
diversion is also allowed during the wet season, however, flood peaks and
volume of flood water may be further reduced and additional benefits derived
for
Proposals for Subsequent
Actions
Included
in the proposals are technical options for water diversion. This will be very
costly, due to the long distance over which water has to be conveyed and pumped
up over hilly terrain (which would demand large electricity costs during operation).
An option is to use more extensive tunnel sections for conveyance.
Regards
possible stage-wise development, it was suggested that the scale of the initial
development could be reduced, and then the reduced output could be compensated
partially by development at a later stage.
This article concludes by
saying that “development of the
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5. “
By Donald M Seekins, Japan
Policy Research Institute (JPRI).
Working Paper #60 Sept. 1999.
[Summarised
by
“Japanese people often claim that their
nation has a “special relationship” with
1940- Aung San (father of pro-democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi), fled the country with the colonial police hot on his
trail in the summer… making contact with Japanese agents on the
1940-41-
Aung San returned to Burma and recruited other young nationalists who became
the “Thirty Comrades,” a pantheon of heroes who were given military training by
the Minami Kikan in the Japanese-occupied island of Hainan.
1942- The
Thirty Comrades became the nucleus of the Burma Independence Army (BIA),
fighting alongside the Japanese army in its conquest of the country. The most important legacy of the Japanese
occupation was the establishment of a powerful national army, Tatmadaw in
Burmese, which grew out of the BIA and was largely modeled on Japanese rather
than British lines. Many of its officers
studied at Japanese military academies during the war…”
1945 (March
27)- Aung San
and his men rose up against the Japanese and joined forces with the Allies.
1941-45- As
many as 190,000 Japanese soldiers died in
1954-
1965-72-
“Quasi reparations” from
1976- Burma
Aid Group of bilateral and multilateral donors holds its first meeting in
1973-88 According
to OECD,
1988 (Sept)- 1989 (Feb)- As
a response to the violent reaction of the junta to the protesters in
1989 (Feb.
17)- Japanese government works up a consensus for
“limited engagement” with
1989- 93-
during which an average of $US 71.6 million was transferred annually (OECD) On
top of this, the Japanese government gave debt relief grants totaling tens of
billion of yen and continued to provide technical advisors and accept Burmese
trainees in
1994- Khin
Nyunt establishes an Office of Strategic Studies (OSS) to establish contact
with foreign opinion leaders, hiring
1994-
Keidanren, the powerful Federation of Economic Organizations, sent a special
fifty-man mission headed by Marubeni chairman, Kazuo Haruna
to
1996-
Keidanren upgraded its informal study group in
1998-
“Parliamentarians’ League to Support the Myanmar Government” formed by a group
of Japanese Diet members led by Kabun Muto.
1998- almost US$20 million was given as “humanitarian aid” for
renovating
1999-
Director and some members of
“…Foreign aid served as the
regime’s life-raft, keeping it afloat as the economy began to founder once
again in the mid-1980’s. The impact of aid on the people’s standard of
living was minimal…
But the bottom line…explains
(1)
(2) future investment possibilities in a country with a
low-wage and literate labor force;
(3) the interests of major Japanese companies, especially
general trading companies, which stood to benefit from aid contracts;
(4)
Two factors seem to account
for
Japanese elites are not used
to and do not like open debate, especially on foreign policy. Some members of the Diet are interested in
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