Burma, Thailand Sign Dawei MoU

 July 23, 2012 |

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Burma’s President Thein Sein and Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra pictured outside Thailand’s Government House on Monday (Photo: Simon Roughneen)

BANGKOK—In his first visit to next-door neighbor Thailand as president, Thein Sein on Monday signed three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) aimed at tightening the growing economic links between the two countries.
The MoUs focus on the Dawei [Tavoy] deep-sea port on Burma’s southwest coast, on development cooperation in Burma, and on joint energy sector projects.
In a brief press conference earlier on Monday at Thailand’s Government House, the Burmese president thanked Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra for her country’s “ongoing support for political and economic reforms.”
Questions were not permitted at the press conference, during which the Thai premier did most of the talking and which centered around economic issues. Yingluck thanked Thein Sein for his “reaffirmed commitment to Dawei,” the multi-billion-dollar port and special economic zone which is being developed by Thai conglomerate Italian-Thai Development (ITD) but about which doubts have emerged in recent months, amid concerns that ITD is struggling to raise the backing and finance needed to make the project happen.
Burmese officials have publicly questioned the viability of Dawei, with other port and economic zone projects under development inside the country at Kyaukpyu in the Bay of Bengal near the Shwe Gas pipeline, and at Thilawa outside Rangoon, while India is backing a new port and jetty at Sittwe in conflict-ridden Arakan State.
“Both sides agreed to build connectivity between Dawei and Laem Chabang,” said Yingluck, referring to the port 100 km southeast of Bangkok that Thein Sein visited on Sunday, and which will be linked to Dawei by road, according to current plans.
During his visit to Laem Chabang on Sunday, Thein Sein was briefed by Thailand’s Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board on the port and on possible benefits of the Dawei- Laem Chabang link.
Thailand is Burma’s second-largest trade partner after China, with a reported trade volume of US $4.5 billion for the fiscal year 2011-2012.
The Thai prime minister proposed opening three additional border crossings between the two countries, one near Chiang Mai, one near Mae Hong Song and one near Kanchanaburi, though no mention was made of the 140,000 or so Burmese refugees living in camps on the Thai side of the 2,300-kilometer (1,300-mile) border, amid cutbacks by Western donors which could prompt some of the refugees to return to Burma prematurely to areas that are heavily mined.
The Thai government, however, pledged to “take care of the Myanmar labour in Thailand in a just manner and according to Thai law,” according to Yingluck. There are 2-3 million Burmese migrant workers in Thailand, most of whom work in low-paid menial jobs in sectors such as fishing and construction.
Trafficking of Burmese labor is common, however, and recent years have seen frequent revelations alleging slavery and mistreatment of Burmese at the hands of Thai employers and Burmese traffickers.
Meanwhile, 92 Thais who were arrested in Kawthaung in Burma on July 4 will appear before a Burmese court on July 27. The issue was not raised at the press conference but according to Thai officials, Yingluck was set to discuss the fate of the 92 separately with Thein Sein.

By SIMON ROUGHNEEN / THE IRRAWADDY| July 23, 2012 

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Landslides In Japan

Floods in Japan kill 26, Thousands Cut Off

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS| July 16, 2012

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Aerial view shows a flooded residential area after a river was flooded by heavy rains in Kyoto on Sunday. (PHOTO: Reuters)

TOKYO—Thousands of people in southern Japan remained cut off Sunday by floods and mudslides triggered by torrential rains that have killed at least 26 people, local authorities said.
Evacuation orders issued a day earlier for a quarter of a million people were lifted in most areas Sunday as the rains subsided, allowing many people to return home.
But thousands remained cut off by landslides or fallen trees that blocked roads in mountainous areas.
More than 3,000 people were left stranded in Yame, in Fukuoka Prefecture in southwestern Japan, where roads were cut off to seven districts, the Kyodo news agency reported, citing local authorities. The Japanese military airlifted food by helicopters to stranded districts.
Local officials raised the death toll from the torrential rains in the northern parts of the Kyushu region to 26 and six people remain missing in Kumamoto, Oita and Fukuoka prefectures, Kyodo reported. Most of the victims were in their 70s and 80s.
In Yame, a 70-year-old man died after being caught in a landslide, while another man died in Yanagawa, also in Fukuoka, after being retrieved from a car at an irrigation channel floodgate, according to local authorities, Kyodo reported.
In Kyoto Prefecture, in western Japan, heavy rainfall of up to 3.5 inches (90 millimeters) per hour flooded around 100 houses each in Kameoka and Kyoto, Japan’s old capital, Kyodo reported.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said that the worst was over, but predicted more rain and thunderstorms in some areas through Monday.

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Re-call it for all Ethnic groups

New Mandalay to Bangkok route planned

Monday, 16 July 2012 11:55 Mizzima News

Direct flights between Mandalay and Bangkok will begin in October, according to Myanmar Airways International (MAI), local media has reported.

In addition, the airline will also increase its flight schedule to Singapore, Guangzhou, Gaya, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh in October, said the Post Global News.

The airline said it would add two more new A-320 aircraft to its four A-320 aircraft fleet.

MAI is a joint venture between the state-owned Myanmar Airways and the private Royal Myanmar Transport Co.

Besides MAI, 13 foreign airlines service Burma.

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Laos denies lying about dam construction

Laos denies lying about dam construction

• Published: 22/07/2012 
• Newspaper section: News

Following allegations Laos has ignored its Mekong River Commission (MRC) neighbours and proceeded with construction of the Xayaburi Dam project, Laos' Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines Viraphonh Viravong spoke to the Bangkok Post Sunday to explain the other side of the story. The following is an edited version of the interview.

LAYING THE GROUNDWORK: Trucks and other heavy machinery are seen working at the Xayaburi Dam site in the mountains.

After the MRC meeting in December in Siem Reap, Cambodia, what has Laos done with the Xayaburi hydropower project?
The Lao government has hired Companie Nationale du Rhone to review Poyry's [an independent consultant hired by Vientiane] studies to ensure that the dam will not have impacts downstream.
Regarding construction work, we have been preparing the site and conducting further surveys and studies to collect more information.
Laos has not given a permit for any construction until we are satisfied with the studies. We have not started any construction that is permanent and we have never given a permit for such construction.
We have been preparing the site and we have been doing so continuously.
What about the Mekong River. Is there any construction on the river?
We have not started working on any construction on the Mekong River that is permanent. What you may see on the river is part of the subsurface geological investigation, which needs to be carried out to facilitate the flushing structure, which would be built tens and tens of metres in the ground.
The media reports that suggest the Lao government has been lying are not true. We have been complying with the [MRC] agreement.
Preparatory work does not involve permanent structures and is just to support the project development. Roads, apartment buildings for workers and such are preparatory and are commonly built ahead of the project to help save time.
Laos has never violated the agreement and has fully complied with the 1995 Mekong Agreement.
There have been media reports that we have halted the project. That's the biggest misunderstanding. We have not carried out the work and then halted, as we never started any construction.
The developers have signed the contract of power purchase with Egat [the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand] already, and they have signed the concessionary agreement with the Lao government. But to be in effect [the concessionary agreement], the developers must follow conditions we have set, such as clearance of land use rights.
The only condition left is how to satisfy the Mekong countries that we have addressed all of the concerns they have raised.
That is why we have hired Poyry and CNR to conduct reviews and studies and then publish the findings in the public domain.
And we have organised an international meeting to give an opportunity to others to raise further concerns until they have none; then the Lao government will make a decision.
What will be the basis of the government's decision?
We will listen to the engineers and experts to see if they say it is OK to go ahead. As they are the experts, the Lao government will listen to them.
What impact will the project have on regional development?
The Xayaburi Dam project has direct benefits for the region as a whole. As we know that hydropower is clean and renewable, the Thai government would be able to have clean and renewable energy, therefore reducing energy derived from dirty coal-fired or gas-based power.
If we could encourage such use, we would be able to see the reduction of greenhouse gases, which would benefit the region as a whole.
At present, there are regional concerns that involve impacts on fisheries, so we are now considering measures proposed by the engineers to help reduce the impacts _ for instance, the use of fish ladders. That would cost over US$100 million (3.17 billion baht).
Actually, the sustainability of fisheries does not depend solely on dam development. There are other causes in the region that can impact that sector, such as water pollution.
What impact will the project have on regional cooperation and river governance under the MRC?
I have seen no problem derived from the project because Laos has acted correctly and followed the agreement. Laos is a small country, so it would not dare to breach the agreement.
If the four countries have the right understanding in the agreement, there should not be any problem. If the 1995 Mekong Agreement is not effective enough to deal with issues, we should consider amending it, not forcing others to act outside the agreement.
Is Laos still bound by the council's conclusion?
Partially. But it should not be a factor to base a judgement on whether the Xayaburi Dam should be built or not.

From - Bangkok Post

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Thai-Laos Border Dam Construction

Construction forges ahead at Xayaburi Dam project

BOATMEN STRUGGLE TO NAVIGATE MEKONG RIVER AS DYKE HINDERS SAFE PASSAGE

• Published: 22/07/2012 at 02:35 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Construction work is still under way at the controversial Xayaburi Dam site _ including a dyke straddling the Mekong River _ despite claims by the Lao government that the work is only preliminary and promises that the project will proceed only with the approval of regional neighbours.

BLOCKAGE: A large gravel based dyke that is being built across a section of the Mekong River, which locals say is obstructing the passage of boats.

The Bangkok Post Sunday sent a team to visit the site earlier this month at the same time US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made her historic visit to Laos, and urged the government to put the project on hold until further studies are conducted into the dam's impact on lower Mekong communities.
On Monday and Tuesday the Lao government invited an international group of ambassadors, advocates and donors to attend a meeting and inspect select parts of the Xayaburi site.

• INTERVIEW: Laos denies lying

When the Post team visited the site earlier this month it photographed what appeared to be major construction work extending from the hillsides to the banks of the river. A one metre high gravel dyke has been constructed more than halfway across most of the river width of 800m, leaving only a small channel for boats to pass through.
Ten construction trucks were seen busily working on the dyke when the Post team visited.
On one side of the river bank next to the extensive ''preliminary construction'', a large concrete base is in place and sections of the hillside have been flattened. There are paved roads and buildings in some work camps.
Boatmen said the dyke had made it difficult to navigate the river as the smaller opening had stronger currents.
Ban Houay Souy villagers near the dam have already been relocated and their former homes flattened to make way for trucks and other heavy machinery.
''Our folk still pass through the channel back and forth to transport teak planks, pillars, and such, from the houses demolished as a result of the relocation from Ban Houy Souy,'' one boatman said.
''But a small longtail boat cannot pass as the current around the channel is strong''.
Security at the dam site has also been stepped up, with a checkpoint on the road leading to the camps, which bars outsiders and relocated villagers.
Ban Talan village, next to the inner camp, has not yet been relocated. The villagers said they had been told they would be relocated but were not given a date.
Ch Karnchang, the Thai developer of the $US3.8 billion (120 billion baht) project, last week shrugged off the Lao government's announcement that it had postponed the project, with company chairman Aswin Kongsiri saying they were waiting for the official word.
He said they had scheduled time for possible delays and expected to finish on target in 2020. Mr Aswin also said Ch Karnchang had not begun construction of the dam but rather has only built an access road to the site, adding the roadwork would continue.
Ninety-five percent of the electricity generated by the dam is to be sold to the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand at a price of about two baht per kilowatt per hour.
The Mekong River Commission _ comprising Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam _ has not yet given unanimous approval for the project, although there have been many media and NGO reports that the work has been progressing.
Critics say it will damage the Mekong ecosystem and the livelihoods of downriver communities.
In late 2010, the Lao government submitted the project to the Mekong River Commission in a bid to make it transparent and accountable, kicking off the six-month consultation period with other Mekong countries under the 1995 Mekong agreement.
But it was later revealed that preliminary construction work was under way despite other MRC members not giving their approval.
At a meeting in April last year at the end of the consultation process, the member countries could not reach a consensus. They deferred the issue to a ministerial-level meeting late last year, which agreed to a study on sustainable management and development of the Mekong River including the impact of hydropower projects.
Laos' Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines Ministry Viraphonh Viravong said in an interview with the Bangkok Post Sunday that the consultation process for the Xayaburi Dam was completed in April last year, and Laos fully complied with the Mekong agreement.
He said there was a misrepresentation in the media that Laos had proceeded with the project and then made a U-turn by announcing it was halted.
Mr Viraphonh said Laos had not started any permanent construction and had not given permission for the developers to do so.
He said work at the site, including in the river and on its banks, was only preparatory.
He said it was part of ''the survey work, or a sub-surface geological investigation, which needs to be carried out to facilitate the flushing structure [of the dam] which would be built many metres in the ground''.
When Mr Viraphonh was asked what constituted ''preparatory work'', he said any structure not of a permanent nature intended to support the project development.
''Considering the Mekong agreement, Laos has the right to construct the project,'' he said.

From - Bangkok post 

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Thailand and Burma: Deep-sea port is ongoing

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