Category Archives: SLIDER

by News Digest | September 15, 2015 · 12:32 am

Regional Roundup for Week of 9.14.15

EXSE FOCUS

China Is Recreating the American ‘Hub-and-Spoke’ System in Asia – The Diplomat Participants discussed topics including Asia’s financial future, development and security, the postwar international order, China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative, energy security, counter-terrorism, and the role of NGOs in developing Asia’s identity, as well as the role of the media in building trust.

Related: Is the Czech Republic China’s New ‘Bridge to Europe’? – The Diplomat

Related: Understanding China’s Eurasian Pivot – The Diplomat

Related: China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ looks to take construction binge offshore – Thanh Nien Daily

Setback for Sino-Thai Rail Projects – Bangkok Post The Sino-Thai railway project with routes from the Northeast to Bangkok and the East will be delayed for about nine months because of questions about construction costs and unfinished surveys. Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith conceded that hurdles remained after a meeting on the project with Chinese authorities at a Bangkok hotel on Friday.//Evidence that the “sign first, ask questions later” approach is alive and well in the Xi Jinping era. There are fewer nuts harder to crack in Southeast Asia than the rivalries among Thailand’s ministries. China underestimated the difficulty level of this task. Insight into the flavor of One Belt One Road projects.

Suspected mastermind of Bangkok bombing believed to be in China – The Guardian Abu Dustar Abdulrahman, known as Izan, travelled to Bangladesh the day before attack and later left for Beijing, police say.//Look for exclusive analysis from Will Feinberg on the unraveling Erawan case and connections to China. We can imagine rail project delays above being linked to Sino-Thai tensions evolving out of Erawan case.

Related: India, Thailand Pledge to Deepen Defense Ties – The Diplomat

Related: Somyot orders strengthening of immigration rules – The Nation

Lao National Assembly Approves Don Sahong Dam – East by Southeast Regional media and NGOs in Southeast Asia are calling the controversial Don Sahong dam on the Mekong River a “time bomb,” and the project’s recent approval by the Lao PDR government has initiated a ticking countdown.//Dams on the Mekong’s main stem are not a good idea. Wait wait wait, until research shows this is an effective project for Laos.

Related: NGOs, Cambodia Voice Alarm at Lao Decision to Proceed with Don Sahong Dam – Radio Free Asia

Chinese Citizen Held by ISIS Poses Test for Beijing – NYT Some foreign policy experts hope Fan Jinghui’s capture will prompt Beijing to consider sending military resources to the Middle East to help reclaim territory held by Islamic militants.//China needs to step up participation in collective security efforts and cut its teeth abroad in conflicts like this especially if it wants to defend the Middle East/Strait of Hormuz in the future as the US considers military scaledown in the region. Time for China’s foreign policy to evolve.

Related: ISIS Says It Has Foreign Hostages – NYT

Related: Islamic State Threatens Chinese Hostage – The Diplomat

Myanmar: Shan Villagers and the Salween Dam Fight – The Diplomat The increasing army presence to defend the construction of a controversial Salween river dam in southeastern Myanmar’s Shan state has sparked heightened concerns among rural villagers, who are determined to fight the development that threatens their livelihoods.

Related: What is it about No that SMEC doesn’t understand? – East by Southeast

ASEAN’s Dirtiest Challenge Makes an Unwanted Return – The Diplomat Can the region successfully tackle its haze problem?//No.

Related: Hazing rituals – The Economist: Asia

Related: Airport in Riau paralyzed as haze grows thicker – The Jakarta Post

REGIONAL RELATIONS

China to hold live-fire drills in Taiwan Strait – The Guardian Chinese military will carry out three days of exercises close to disputed territory, as Taiwan practises its own response to submarine attack.

Explaining China’s New ‘Commitments’ on the South China Sea – The Diplomat Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, made the biggest impression on August 3, just before the meetings proper. He called a press conference to announce that China would keep five commitments on the South China Sea issue.

Related: Watch Out China: Vietnam’s Coast Guard Will Fight Back – The Diplomat

Related: A New Indonesia Military Boost Near the South China Sea? – The Diplomat

Related: Philippines, Australia to Hold Joint Military Exercises – The Diplomat

China Flexes Tech Muscles Before a State Visit – NYT As President Xi Jinping of China prepares for his first state visit to the United States this month, Washington has warned that it could hit Chinese companies with sanctions over digital attacks for trade secrets.

Deportation dilemma: Is Beijing deliberately hindering expulsion of 39,000 Chinese from the US? – SCMP In early June, in cities across America, US immigration agents arrested more than two dozen Chinese nationals with unfulfilled deportation orders, telling them that after years of delay, China was finally taking steps to provide the paperwork needed to expel them…//Once again, a double standard defines the US-China relationship.

Malaysia Likely to Pass TPP Despite Najib Troubles: Expert – The Diplomat Support deemed sufficient for country to get mammoth free trade pact through.//Evidence needed on how the US is backing Malaysia and Najib to help pass TPP there. Anyone looking into this past the TIP upgrade?

Confirmed: Indonesia to Rejoin OPEC in December – The Diplomat Jakarta is set to return to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries later this year.

Related: Is Jokowi Turning His Back on ASEAN? – The Diplomat

3 Men Laundered Over $5 Billion for Drug Cartels, U.S. Says – NYT Using the Chinese counterfeit market, a group of Colombians “provided the lifeline for drug cartels to operate and push illegal drugs into the United States,” the Drug Enforcement Administration said.

Australia’s treaty-making process is broken. The China free trade deal is a case in point | Peter Whish-Wilson – The Guardian Australia’s treaty-making process is so flawed it is hard to have any confidence in the claimed benefits of deals like the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (Chafta).

SUSTAINABILITY AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Satellites to show the way forward for Mekong region – The Nation EFFICIENT NATURAL resource management, disaster warning and a reduction in the effects of climate change on the Lower Mekong region will be enhanced thanks to the SERVIR – Mekong project.//Effective programs outcomes from the US-led Lower Mekong Initiative are slowly trickling out. The US could and should increase its touch on the LMI.

Related: Climate Change and Migration Across the Bay of Bengal – The Diplomat

President ‘did not discuss’ Myitsone dam in China, says Ye Htut – DVB President Thein Sein did not engage in discussion about the Myitsone dam project when he met with China Power Investment Corporation (CPI) during his visit to China, says Information Minister and Presidential Spokesman Ye Htut.

Tianjin blasts: plans to turn site into ‘eco park’ mocked on Chinese social media – The Guardian Netizens describe proposal to rehabilitate explosion crater into lake as ‘disgusting’ with many concerned the blast site will remain a toxic mess for years.//See article below from China Dialogue on how China needs to take its time with soil pollution cleanup.

China: Quantitative Easing and the Pollution Problem – The Diplomat Beijing could give new life to market-oriented reforms with a decisive program of cleaning up the environment as a quantitative easing measure, accompanied by efforts to steer consumer businesses to some of the cleaned sites, as a flagship program of the new five-year plan.

Related: China ‘should avoid rush job’ on cleaning up soil pollution – Chinadialogue

Mongolia’s Mega Coal Mine Deal Likely to Stall, Again – The Diplomat The Tavan Tolgoi coal mine in southern Mongolia is one of the world’s largest undeveloped coal deposits…Mongolia is being dug up and sold to China.

Related: China’s Energy Security Achilles Heel: Middle Eastern Oil – The Diplomat

Related: China helps Pakistan build world’s largest solar farm – The Third Pole

The ugly truth about Vietnam’s floating markets – Thanh Nien Daily While inhabitants of a market on the Mekong dump rubbish and relieve themselves in the waters, authorities still ponder what needs to be done.//Another example of a good thing growing too fast, lacking regulation, and ultimately facing prohibition. These markets would likely be labeled as “dirty, messy, substandard” in China and wiped from the waters despite important cultural and social networks created (not considering tourism dollars). Taxing and regulating the waters will be challenge for vein of market, traditionally known for avoiding state control.

Related: Pollution forces thousands of fish to surface for air on Saigon canal – Thanh Nien Daily

NCPO orders removal of fishing traps – The Nation FISHERMEN LAMENT LOSS OF TRADITIONAL LIVELIHOOD AS ALL EQUIPMENT REMOVED.

Related: Rights body to hear SEZ land seizure concerns – The Nation

CHINA

China’s Response to Stock Plunge Rattles Traders – NYT In addition to imposing extraordinary restrictions on the sale of stocks, the authorities have harnessed a security apparatus usually more focused on political dissent.

Related: China’s Controversial Circuit Breaker Proposal – The Diplomat

Related: South Africa’s Inexplicable Love Affair with China – ChinaFile

Related: Modi asks billionaires if China’s pain can be India’s gain – Thanh Nien Daily

China’s central bank governor says yuan has stabilised against the dollar – The Guardian Zhou Xiaochuan tells G20 meeting in Turkey the exchange rate ‘tends to be stable’ in the wake of the yuan’s devaluation and stock market chaos.

Related: China’s Forex Follies – Project Syndicate

Overhaul of Chinese state-owned firms splits them into commercial and not-for-profit operations – SCMP Beijing has issued new guidelines for state-owned enterprises, splitting them into two main groups – those that are commercially orientated, and others that are focused on not-for-profit operations, sources said.

Iran’s Foreign Minister to Visit China – The Diplomat China and Iran will discuss their relationship under the “new circumstances” of the nuclear deal.

Related: China or Iran: Who Is the Bigger Threat to U.S. Airpower? – The Diplomat

Related: Russia and China in the Arctic: Is the US Facing an Icebreaker Gap? – The Diplomat

China’s Military Cutbacks – NYT China announced that it would cut 300,000 troops, its largest reduction in nearly two decades.

Related: Foreign Investors and China’s Naval Buildup – The Diplomat

Related: Amnesty As a Stepping Stone to Rule of Law – ChinaFile

How Foreign Analysis of China’s Military Parade Missed the Point – The Diplomat Most outside analysis of China’s parade was surprisingly sensationalized, superficial, and over-interpreted.

Related: Remembering Yunnan’s Role in World War Two – GoKunming

Ex-chairman of state-owned China Resources to face bribery, embezzlement, adultery charges – SCMP Song Lin’s expulsion from Communist Party paves way for former head of conglomerate with five Hong Kong listed subsidiaries to be charged, China’s graft watchdog says.

China Vows to ‘Intensify’ Fight Against Tibetan Separatists – The Diplomat Plus, new railways, military reform, and China in Southeast Asia.

Related: Two More Tibetans Are Detained Following Solo Protests in Ngaba – Radio Free Asia

Related: I’m with the banned: China blocks Bon Jovi gigs – The Guardian

Will China’s growing box office dominance change Hollywood forever? – The Guardian China will overtake North America within three years to become the world’s largest film audience – which is great news for fans of Transformers and endless Terminator sequels.

Related: China accused of fraud over patriotic epic which shot down Terminator – The Guardian

SOUTHEAST ASIA

In Myanmar, a Soft Coup Ahead of an Election – NYT The army is manipulating the political scene again to ensure that it remains in charge, election or not.

KIA, govt troops clash as peace talks proceed – DVB Burmese government forces have clashed with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in northern Burma, as President Thein Sein meets with leaders of the five major ethnic armed groups (EAOs) in Naypyidaw today to negotiate and finalise a date for the signing of a Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement.

ADB, Myanmar Sign Framework Agreement to Expand Trade Finance – ADB The Government of Myanmar and ADB signed a framework agreement today that will allow ADB to expand its Trade Finance Program into Myanmar.

DNA on weapon does not match men accused of killing British tourists in Thailand – The Guardian Forensic expert says DNA found on bloodied garden hoe does not belong to two men standing trial for deaths of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller.

Related: Thailand frees UK academic Wyn Ellis – The Guardian

Related: British academic detained at Bangkok airport for four days – The Guardian

Thailand’s Military Junta Rejects Draft Constitution – NYT Thailand’s military junta extended its rule by at least seven months when its reform council voted against a constitution written by its own drafting committee.

Related: Curiouser and curiouser – The Economist: Asia

Related: How to Save the Thai Economy – NYT

Related: No peace soon in Thailand’s Deep South – New Mandala

Peter Dutton holds ‘productive’ talks in Cambodia over refugee resettlement – The Guardian Immigration minister’s visit comes after Cambodian government official said there were ‘no plans’ for the country to accept any more refugees from Nauru.

Related: Cambodia’s Montagnard Problem – The Diplomat

Cambodia’s Hun Sen Orders Arrest of Map Detractors Amid Vietnam Border Dispute – Radio Free Asia Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday ordered police to arrest anyone who accuses the government of using “fake” maps and ceding national territory amid an ongoing political dispute over the demarcation of the Southeast Asian nation’s border with neighboring Vietnam.

The Challenge of Sustaining Asia’s Progress – ADB The launch of the SDGs later this month and the possibility of a global climate change deal by the end of the year will be two crucial pieces in the framework needed to drive continued economic success in Asia, says Independent Evaluation.

Related: Urbanization and Migration in Developing Asia – The Diplomat

Related: Asean bid to draw tourists from India – The Jakarta Post

Related: Proposed Lao Curbs on NGOs Seen as Choking Development Projects – Radio Free Asia

Singapore votes in snap election as opposition seeks end of one-party dominance – SCMP Singaporeans began casting their votes today in a snap parliamentary election after a heated campaign that boosted opposition hopes of further eroding half a century of dominance by the ruling party.

Related: What to Expect From the Next Government in Singapore – Asia Unbound

Related: Malay Pride Rally Stokes Race Politics in Malaysia – The Diplomat

This week’s new digest was compiled by Julia Zielinski with comments by Brian Eyler.

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by Brian Eyler | September 12, 2015 · 3:14 am

Lao National Assembly Approves Don Sahong Dam

Regional media and NGOs in Southeast Asia are calling the controversial Don Sahong dam on the Mekong River a “time bomb,” and the project’s recent approval by the Lao PDR government has initiated a ticking countdown. Daovong Phonekeo, director general of the Energy Policy and Planning Department at the Lao Ministry of Energy and Mines said in an email statement released earlier this month that the National Assembly approved a concession agreement for the Don Sahong Dam with Mega First Corp, a Malaysian developer which has never built a hydropower project.

This legislation gives the green light for the project’s construction, which is now planned to commence by the end of the year. While the project’s 260MW hydropower capacity is small and intended for local use, its impacts will be felt region-wide as researchers believe the dam will block off the only channel accessible during the dry season for the yearly migration of hundreds of fish species endemic to the Mekong River. The Mekong is the world’s largest inland fishery with millions of people living along its banks who rely on daily fish catches for food consumption and income.

“The Don Sahong Dam will certainly negatively impact migratory fish moving between Laos and Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. The question is, to what extent, and how much might it be possible to mitigate impacts?” said Ian Baird in an interview with ExSE. Baird is a geologist from the University of Wisconsin with decades of experience researching fisheries and communities in the Don Sahong area. “The risk is high because the Khone Falls area is so important for long distance fish migrations, and because it remains highly uncertain how efficient the measures being developed will be. Many uncertainties remain, but the stakes are high, and this makes the project risky.”

The dam is located less than 2 kilometers from the Cambodian border in the Siphandon area of southern Laos. Siphandon, literally “four thousand islands,” is one of the earth’s most unique land and waterscapes. Here the Mekong navigates mazes of rocky channels, creating a throng of islands, and expands to more than 15 kilometers wide at some parts. A fault line runs through this area creating picturesque waterfalls which attract many thousands of tourists from the region and around the world. . The Sahong channel, where the dam will be built, is the only major channel without a rocky cascade and thus is the only channel accessible by seasonal fish migrations.

Mega First, the dam developer, has conducted research on fish migration over the last 18 months to identify fish species and determine migratory patterns, hoping that findings reveal migratory fish are using other minor channels close to the Sahong channel for migration. A 2014 Mega First study by Kent Hortle, a respected Mekong fisheries expert, suggests China’s damming of the Mekong has regulated the river’s dry season level to permit fish passage through channels previously unavailable to fish.

Increased pressure from civil society groups, international NGOs, and academic research has prodded Mega First to widen and deepen these minor channels, but the effectiveness of these mitigation efforts will not be known until the dam’s construction is completed. Peter Hawkins, the main fisheries consultant for Mega First is on record for saying, “’if these passages do not prove to be sufficient they will continue to work on them to create the best bypass possible.”

The new legislation means dam construction will likely begin before Mega First’s fish mitigation research is complete, making the project a risky gamble. International Rivers’ Southeast Asia director, Ame Trandem called for a two year moratorium on the Don Sahong Dam until more research can be done on impacts to fish migration.

“The Don Sahong Dam is not a done deal,” Trandem wrote in a statement on the International Rivers website. “Until the project developer can prove that [the dam] will not harm the Mekong River’s rich fisheries and the unique ecosystem services it provides to millions of people in the basin, it is in the best interest of Laos and the region to give the Mekong River a much needed reprieve.”

Meanwhile, Laos pledges to maintain productive economic and diplomatic ties with the neighbors that surround the landlocked state. One must then question Laos’s calculus for pushing forward the dam’s approval process when stakeholders ranging from the official to grassroots levels in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam all have voiced opposition to the project. However, neighboring governments have yet to comment on the dam’s recent approval.

Moreover, Laos gave only nominal consideration to the regional notification and consultation process mandated by the Mekong River Commission, an inter-governmental organization of which Laos is a charter member. More critically one must question whether or not the dam’s approval includes a regional or geopolitical calculus at all, since most evidence indicates that the dam serves as a pet project of a powerful Lao political family with prospects and license to develop the Siphandon area for investment and tourism.

Regardless of Siphandon’s development trajectories, waiting until Mega First’s own research is published and vetted by stakeholders is the most pragmatic course forward for the Don Sahong Dam. Any other pathway could gravely impact regional food security, including Laos’s own food supply, and place Laos further at odds with its downstream neighbors.

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Filed under Current Events, Regional Relations, SLIDER, Sustainability and Resource Management, water

Tagged as don sahong, Mekong hydropower

by East by Southeast | September 11, 2015 · 10:27 am

SMEC’ed About the Head

What is it about No that SMEC doesn’t understand?

SMEC, an Australian based services company that morphed out of the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation, was recently handed a petition containing 23,7171 signatures opposing a dam that would effectively divide war-shocked Shan state in Myanmar in half.

They are the public face of a consortium planning a giant dam on the Upper Salween river at Mong Ton in Myanmar. It’s not the first time they have been told the idea stinks. Maybe they are heroically taking one for the gang; the disaster prone Three Gorges Corporation, the very shonky Sino Hydro, the Myanmar Electricity Power Enterprise, and state energy monopsony Thai Electricity Generating Authority (EGAT). Then there is a UK team of engineers Malcolm Dunstan and Associates, involved in dam building in Myanmar in the past and, because of human right violations on the sites, placed on UK’s Burma Campaign’s ‘Dirty Company’ list. SMEC might well soon be down there with them.

SMEC has been meeting the people of Shan state, seeking agreement for the Mong Ton dam to be built on the upper Salween in Shan State. They have faced serial rejection. Meetings have been cancelled due to local hostility. Old Shan women have risen to their feet, their voices rich and challenging, telling the SMEC representatives that having survived years of war, they refuse to let their ancestral lands be drowned to produce unneeded electricity for China and Thailand.

SMEC’s habit of giving gifts of cloth bags, bottled drinks and snacks to people they interview has as angered local villagers, who view these as bribes. They report SMEC repeatedly pushes the ‘positive’ impacts of the dam, appearing deaf to protests, while attempting to persuade them to sign documents they don’t understand.

On July 22^nd, a group of villagers returned the bags they had been given by SMEC surveyors, and instead presented them with anti-dam posters. A Shan joint statement calls SMEC’s assessments process “simply a sham, aimed to rubber-stamp the Mong Ton dam plans, rather than objectively assess (sic) the project’s actual impacts.”

In April this year the Australian Federal Police raided SMEC’s international’s headquarters in New South Wales ‘as part of an investigation into allegations of foreign bribery – it was unclear if this was associated with the Myanmar project.

‘Many of our highly respected stupas and pagodas, such as Ho Leung temple, will be destroyed.’ said Hkyaw Seng, whose village is close to the construction site. The 700 years old Ho Leung Temple, on the eastern bank of the Salween is famous throughout Shan State, with tens of thousands of pilgrims travelling there every March.

In the Australian context, this might be compared to submerging St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne to power New Zealand.

Burma Battlers

Along with other ethnic states of Myanmar, Shan state suffered intense warfare for over 20 years and sporadic clashes since. It is the biggest of Myanmar’s seven ethnic states with population of around 8 million people, half of whom are Shan.

During that long war many abuses were committed by the Burmese Army, include arbitrary execution and detention, torture, looting, rape, forced relocation and forced labour.

Shan and Karen representatives reported to this correspondent that SMEC’s work has been obstructed by political instability, increasing military presence and growing community resistance. In May Burmese Army tanks were photographed in Kunhing, whose renowned ‘thousand islands’ in the Pang tributary will be submerged by the dam reservoir. They fear opposition to the dam will trigger military violence.

Four SMEC officials went to the Wa capital in early July this year, seeking to survey the Wa Special Administrative Region. They were ‘advised’ to return at a later date by leaders of the China-backed United Wa State Army, possibly due to growing political and military tension between UWSA (notoriously linked with cross border drug trade) and Burmese government; tensions that erupted into fighting in Mong Ton township in early June 2015. SMEC is now effectively unable to carry out surveys in a large swathe of Wa-controlled territory along the eastern bank of the Salween above the planned Mong Ton dam.

The US$10 billion (2015 estimate) hydropower dam will flood an area nearly the size of Singapore, virtually bisecting Shan state and destroying around a hundred communities. You can replace houses but not communities which are organic social structures built on trust mutual support and shared histories. It is the very strength of these communities that enabled their people to endure the hardships of war. Locals report that tanks are returning, as are armed guards. A Chiang Mai lawyer with connections to the Shan, told this correspondent recently ‘local media report that the project has started, and in a conversation we had… a few weeks ago, there is a camp of mostly Chinese engineers doing testing near the site. They said that the river near that area is off limits to all people and that warning shots were fired at a boat that got too close. The contact was not sure who fired the shots.’

The Burma river network (BRN) asserts that large dams are being constructed on all of Burma’s major rivers and tributaries by Chinese, Thai and Indian companies. The dams are causing displacement, militarization, human rights abuses, and irreversible environmental damage – threatening the livelihoods and food security of millions. The power and revenues generated are going to the military regime and neighbouring countries.

Role Play

So what is an Aussie company doing there?

‘It is not SMEC’s role to provide recommendations as to whether the Project should proceed. The findings of the EIA/SIA will be presented to the Government of Myanmar, who will decide (with other sources of information) whether to proceed with the Project.’ (Pro forma response from SMEC).

SMEC’s role has been to complete the Environmental and Social Impact Assessments. The general idea is for both these studies to be submitted to the government to be signed-off (or, as happens too often, paid off) and plans for mitigation put to the villagers and agreed to before work can start. However a local council member in Mong Ton, seconding the lawyer’s report, said that despite the local people’s disapproval, earthworks were already underway along the ridge of the mountain, as was confirmed by Kai Khur Hseng, a spokesperson for the Shan by phone from the Thai-Myanmar border.

‘Well you would expect that,’ said environmental consultant Dr Sean Foley in neighbouring Laos. ‘They borrow lots of money to build the dam and no doubt to pay off officials. The longer they delay, the more interest they have to pay, so it’s in their interest to get moving, and pay the necessary fees to ensure the EIA is agreed to. The ‘soft’ items like compensation to villagers and relocation construction are usually where all the cost savings are made.’

As for the social impacts, it should be obvious, when confronted with a room full of people who are largely farmers and whose land is about to be flooded, wearing ‘No Dams’ headbands, that maybe, just maybe, these people think the social and economic costs are not worth it. Despite SMEC’s claims to hold free and fair consultations the presence of local militias and pro-government representatives in meetings inhibited villagers from asking questions.

A message sent to SMEC’s local senior manager, Michael Holics, which asked how much forest was going to be destroyed, how many tonnes of concrete to be used was met with a pro forma response (see above), the same response given to questions related to resettlement, land allocation, livelihoods, and fish stocks. Tropical dams are under scrutiny, found to emit as much greenhouse gas as coal fired power plants with similar energy output, while devastating huge areas of land.

SMEC’s job has already been done by International Rivers (IR) and other local groups who have listed the environmental and social factors mitigating against building the dam. Pianporn Deetes of IR told this correspondent that tens of thousands of ethnic people living on the floodplains near the dam site have already been forcibly relocated. ‘All dams planned on the Salween River will greatly disrupt the riverine ecosystem and destroy the livelihoods of peoples living along the river.’

SMEC could hardly avoid the fact that in 2007, the dam consortium was given land on which to build an office, land confiscated from Wan Mai village. In the way of the then-incumbent military junta, landless villagers were forced to attend the ground-breaking ceremony for the dam. Further north, the Mekong, Salween and Yangtze rivers flow in parallel for at least 300 kms, creating a World Heritage listed biodiversity area that is being destroyed by megaprojects like hydropower dams. In short, SMEC whose office centred CSR principles would have this project in Australia booed off the field, seem undeterred.

Sai Khur Hseng reported that wars and forest destruction had taken its toll on mega-fauna like elephants but that ‘Survivors habitat will be drowned by the dam.’ Myanmar’s laws have not been reformed in keeping with global standards and do not provide for compensation or relocation.

Paul Sein Twa, reported that business cronies of the regime have already been clear-felling formerly dense teak forests around the dam site. Director of the Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN), Twa told Mongabay that proposed multiple dams would do irreparable damage to the Salween Basin extending across, China, Myanmar and Thailand. The basin is “home to the world’s last great teak forest, to dry-season islands rich with crops, and to healthy fisheries upon which many people depend. This river is of vast ecological and cultural value, and it is worth preserving for present and future generations.’

Did the Earth Move for You

The Mong Ton dam wall, some 241 meters high, would be one of the highest in the region. The area is very prone to earthquakes and warning has been issued about impending risk of a serious movement of the nearby Sagaing fault after the Nepal ‘adjustment’. The collapse of such a dam would be disastrous. Scientists have warned of additional +7 scale adjustments in the next decade and have clearly advised against dam building. A dam this size could itself cause a seismic event, as happened in Sichuan China.

The Himalayan and Tibetan glaciers appear to be melting faster than earlier predicted, offering increased flows in the short-term but ‘dry ice’ in the future.

Twa agreed the dam also poses a threat of catastrophic flooding, should the region’s seismic activity lead to an earthquake-induced dam failure.

Asia is engaged in a orgy of dam building, pushed heavily by China and Thailand, whose urban elites stand to profit mightily from such investments. In this part of the world rivers are integral to life, providing food, transport and irrigation to countless communities.

Myanmar’s government has not publicly addressed villager’s complaints, but have praised the Salween dam projects as benefiting local populations, securing critically-needed electricity for Myanmar and leading to peace. But the opposite appears to be true, with the poor losing hard-won security and military build ups occurring daily. Maybe SMEC’s shareholders should understand the implications of the company’s activities and make their discontent clear.

The author of this article has chosen to publish anonymously.

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Filed under Current Events, Economic development, Energy, ethnic policy, Governance, Myanmar/Burma, SLIDER

Tagged as dams, environmental impact assessment, hydropower, mon tong dam, Salween river, SMEC, Snowy Mountain Engineering Corporation

by GoKunming | September 9, 2015 · 2:40 am

Remembering Yunnan’s Role in World War Two

The streets of Beijing are abuzz with patriotism, filled with goose-stepping soldiers, gleaming new military hardware and bedecked with five-star red flags. It is the seventieth anniversary of Japan’s formal surrender in 1945, an act that brought the cataclysm of the Second World War to its official end.

While the capital celebrates and hundreds of millions watch the Beijing parade on television, Yunnan residents quietly reflect on their province’s stand in what is officially called the ‘Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression’. Although no parades will be held this year in Kunming commemorating those who fought and died, Yunnan’s stature as one of China’s last bastions of hope remains undiminished, if often a bit misunderstood.

The vicissitudes of history — especially in a war fought on as many fronts as World War Two — leave thousands, if not millions, of stories untold. In Yunnan, the general narrative has by now been boiled down to three major fronts, all of which effected one another. They include the development of Kunming as China’s last ditch air base, a months-long engagement in the mountains of western Yunnan and the opening of the Stilwell Road. Although those three events do not comprise the entirety of the war effort carried out South of the Clouds, they go a long way toward creating a general overview.

The China National Aviation Corporation, The Flying Tigers and The Hump

Few know that the foundation of the province’s current airport network was laid more than 70 years ago by Americans and Chinese working for an often-misunderstood Chinese/American-owned commercial airline known as China National Aviation Corporation, or CNAC. Founded in 1929 by aircraft manufacturer Curtiss-Wright, CNAC ran into difficulties dealing with Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist government and was sold to Pan American Airways in 1933.

CNAC fared better in China under Pan Am management and began to service routes linking the United States, Pan American’s Pacific network, and China’s major urban centers, first flying into Kunming in 1935. Runways were hard to come by in China at the time, and CNAC had a competitive advantage with its river planes, which often made water landings on the Yangtze and other waterways.

War was to quickly alter the fate of CNAC. By the end of 1941, CNAC was making evacuation flights as well as carrying out the dangerous supply runs between India and Kunming for which it would late become famous. When the American Volunteer Group — now more commonly referred to as The Flying Tigers (飞虎队) and credited with bringing down as many as 300 Japanese aircraft during its brief tenure — disbanded in July of 1942, many of its pilots joined CNAC rather than return to the US military. This blurred the lines between CNAC and the Flying Tigers, as the ‘original’ Tigers were now seen in CNAC civilian uniforms.

As Japanese forces gained ground in southern China and Burma, Yunnan and Kunming became a critical nexus for material shipments and air support sorties. Kunming remained un-captured throughout the war, not only due to CNAC and The Flying Tigers, but also because thousands of local civilians turned out to build and repair airstrips, work as makeshift mechanics and otherwise support Allied troops.

The Huitong Bridge and Ledo Road

During World War II the western part of Yunnan was occupied by Japanese forces. They had effectively cut off the Burma Road that once supplied Yunnan and Sichuan, while simultaneously attempting to stop cargo planes flying The Hump transport route. The planned goal was to march on Kunming and then Chongqing.

The Japanese army could only be stopped from further penetration by blowing up the Burma Road bridge at Huitong (惠通桥), where it crossed the Nu River — then known to the world outside China by its Burmese name, the Salween. General Joseph “Vinegar Joe” Stilwell, Allied commander of the China-Burma-India Theater, worked hard to reopen the Burma Road because he saw it as the only way of getting in enough supplies and heavy equipment to fight the war further east into China.

Under his command, American engineering battalions began to cut a road through the north of Burma from the Indian railhead town of Ledo, planning eventually to link up with the original Burma Road at the Chinese border. To recapture the ground through which the supply line needed to travel, Stilwell launched the Salween Campaign. He used the Chinese Expeditionary Army, first established and trained in India, as a vanguard.

This force was made up of Chinese army units cut off from the mainland by Japanese attacks on the Burma Road, as well as other reinforcements flown in on empty Hump return flights to India. These men were known as the X-Force, while the American-trained and supplied Y-Force operated from Yunnan.

The Y-Force, with the assistance of American supplies, technicians and tactical advisers, forded the Nu River beginning on May 11, 1944. On the first day some 40,000 troops crossed the river with the help of 398 American rubber boats and countless bamboo rafts. In the days that followed, 60,000 more troops and thousands of pack animals carrying supplies crossed the river. The Japanese had not expected an army of this size capable of crossing the rain-swollen river, and were taken by surprise. However, they were able to hold up the enormous force because they retained control of the passes along the Gaoligong Mountains.

The Japanese base at Songshan controlled the Huitong Bridge across the Nu River. The stronghold — referred to as “Gibraltar on the Burma Road” — proved extremely difficult to capture. First, the Chinese tried to storm it en masse but were forced back again and again, each time with heavy losses. Next, the Chinese started to construct trenches up the mountain, but in the end this did not work either. Finally they undermined Japanese command and supply bunkers by digging long tunnels though the mountain. Using tons of US-supplied TNT, the force blew up the mountaintop on August 20, 1944.

Even then there was stiff resistance and the mountain stronghold was only captured on September 7, following more than three months of heavy fighting. The victory was secured at a cost of 7,600 Chinese lives and those of some 3,000 Japanese defenders.

On January 12, 1945 the first convoy left India and followed the recently captured and repaired road. It arrived on February 4 in Kunming, over a twisting thoroughfare by then named the Stilwell Road. The vital supply line combined the original Burma Road — its 900-kilometer Chinese section built by an estimated 200,000 civilians in only eight months — and the US$150 million American-constructed Ledo Road.

The Yunnan front was an incredibly crucial one, for the Allies in general, and China specifically. The once sleepy and forgotten province awoke to the misery and destruction of war and responded more than admirably. Following the war, Yunnan and its people attempted to return to a normality that included a new found pride of place that remains with many to the present day.

This article, written by Patrick Scally, was originally posted here on the GoKunming website on September 3.

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Tagged as c, Chongqing, Claire Chennault, Flying Tigers, hump airlift, Kunming, Ledo Road, Stillwell Road, World War II, WWII, Yunnan

by News Digest | · 2:28 am

Regional Roundup for Week of 9.5.15

Apologies for the late posting as team ExSE snoozed through the Labor Day weekend in the US. Biggest news this week coming through our lens was the deepening investigation and arrests related to the Erawan Shrine bombing in Bangkok. It is apparent that Uyghur nationals, likely to have fled from China, were involved in the bombing and evidence suggests the yellow shirted bomber whose image was flung on media posts worldwide, is also Uyghur. Some analysts are saying that the Uyghur connection will only tighten the Sino-Thai bilateral relationship and further deepen China’s claims that Uyghur refugees are a destabilizing force in China and Southeast Asia, while others analysts suggest that Thailand will not again make the “mistake” of kowtowing to China (by repatriating scores of male Uyhgur nationals to China) when such actions lead to domestic and regional acts of terror with the potential to cripple Thailand’s tourism economy and threaten Prayuth Chan-ocha’s fragile military government.

EXSE FOCUS

Dams, Climate Change Lead to Fish Decline in Cambodia’s Tonle Sap: Fishermen – Radio Free Asia The fish population in Cambodia’s Tonle Sap lake has declined significantly from a year ago, fishermen in the country’s Kampong Chhnang province said Friday, citing the construction of dams in the area and climate change, among other factors. Shortages have led to an increased price for fish in the region, making it harder for residents to put food on the table or make prahok, the fermented fish paste that is a staple of the Cambodian diet. //Although it’s cited as a contributing factor, fishing is something these families are highly dependent on – when securing food for the week is a challenge, (forget the prospect of sending your children to school), what options do they have?

No Recourse: Upper Mekong Dam Spells End for Tibetan Village – East by Southeast Dual influences of economic uncertainty in China and Southeast Asia and the unavoidable effects of climate change in addition to grassroots efforts are challenging the popular notion of a “domino effect” of inevitable hydropower development on the Mekong. While the domino effect on the Lower Mekong may be under question, it has prevailed in China’s stretch of the Mekong, silencing activism and subjecting affected communities and local ecologies to the vagaries of unchecked development. The 990MW Wunonglong dam, scheduled for completion in 2019, and the impacts of its reservoir on thousands of households serves as a case in point.

Laos Officially Approves Controversial Dam Project – The Diplomat Laos’ parliament has approved the concession agreement for a controversial dam project, with construction expected to begin before the end of 2015, media sources reported earlier this week. The proposed 260-megawatt Don Sahong hydropower project is critical part of the Lao government’s hopes to transform the country into “the battery of Southeast Asia,” with revenues generated from exporting power to neighboring countries.//The Don Sahong dam is not a critical part of Laos’ plans to transform the country into the battery of Southeast Asia. It’s a relatively small dam and the power will be distributed to the local area. However, the dam’s impacts will likely cut off a majority of seasonal migratory fish flows having a profound and devastating effect on fish biodiversity and food security for downstream countries of Cambodia and Vietnam.

China’s new Air Pollution Law omits key measures in war on smog – China Dialogue China’s revised Air Pollution Law has made changes almost every major article, after passing through three separate hearings and doubling in length from its original version. Several new elements have been added in the revised law, including articles about regional prevention and control of pollution, an alert system that gives warnings on weather conditions that worsen smog, and limits on particular levels of polluting compounds, particularly in vehicle fuels. Yet, for many, the revamped law is disappointing. The code fails to enshrine a basic right for China’s public to have clean air, and lacks a system for environmental public interest litigation. //With nearly half of China’s coal burning coming from industry, many are (rightfully) still waiting to see caps on coal usage for these major contributors.

Cambodia’s Political Truce Breaks Down – CFR Now the longest-serving nonroyal ruler in Asia and the seventh-longest serving nonroyal ruler in the world, Hun Sen remains the ultimate survivor. For three decades, according to human rights groups, Hun Sen has used a combination of populist charm, control of the media through relations with media tycoons, outright intimidation, and relatively effective management of the economy to stay in power. Cambodia holds elections, but the deck tends to be stacked heavily against the opposition.

Related: It’s good to talk – Southeast Asia Globe

Vietnam’s Boat People Mark Anniversary With Return to Refugee Camps – Radio Free Asia A group of former “boat people” who fled persecution by the communist government in Hanoi at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 recently toured resettlement camps in Southeast Asia to mark their journey to sanctuary 40 years earlier, and to honor those who were not so lucky. The group set off from Australia on Aug. 20 as part of a “Back to Freedom” boat tour organized by the Archive of Vietnamese Boat People to sites in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand—four key destinations for refugees seeking asylum after the conflict.

REGIONAL RELATIONS

Adrift in ASEAN: Tackling Southeast Asia’s Migration Challenge – The Diplomat The ad hoc and variable nature of state responses to irregular migration flows in Southeast Asia reflects the absence of regional frameworks for addressing displacement and migration challenges.//Will Europe provide best practices for a coordinated ASEAN refugee policy?

Civil groups urge end to forced disappearance in ASEAN – The Jakarta Post As ASEAN moves toward a single economic community, civil society groups have urged regional governments not to tolerate human rights violations and to address past abuses, including cases of forced disappearance.

Philippines, Vietnam to sign partnership deal by year-end – Thanh Nien News The Philippines and Vietnam will sign a “strategic partnership” agreement by the end of the year to bolster defence, political and economic ties, officials have said. “As strategic partners, we aim to deliver results… a cooperation at the highest possible level,” Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario told reporters late Wednesday. The deal would make Vietnam the Philippines’ second “strategic partner” after Japan, with which the Philippines is also bolstering military ties.

Related: Philippines, Vietnam to Ink Strategic Partnership by End of 2015 – The Diplomat

Chinese ships headed home after Bering Sea sighting: U.S. Navy – Thanh Nien News Five Chinese Navy ships sighted in the Bering Sea off Alaska during a visit to the region by U.S. President Barack Obama have begun their “return transit,” the U.S. Navy’s top uniformed officer told Reuters on Thursday. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert said he did not view the incident, an apparent first for China’s military, as unexpected or alarming.//The Bering strait is a critical chokepoint for China’s ever-growing Arctic trade. The Chinese, Russian, and US navy will see increased activity in this region into the future. Will naval crowding in the arctic lead to tension or provide an arena for joint cooperation? The US should push for the latter option.

Related: In a First, Chinese Navy Sails Off Alaska – NYT

What To Expect From Xi Jinping’s Visit to the US – The Diplomat With Chinese President Xi Jinping scheduled to visit the United States late this month, U.S. commentators and presidential hopefuls are debating whether Xi’s planned state visit should be downgraded or even cancelled. Organizers of the visit settled on the September timing knowing full well the presidential campaign would likely produce a toxic media environment. To understand Xi’s coming U.S. visit, one must look beyond the Beltway—at least as far as Manhattan.

Related: Rethinking the Obama-Xi Summit – The Diplomat

Australia alarmed by strategic rivalry in South China Sea – Thanh Nien News Australia expressed alarm on Wednesday at escalating strategic rivalry in the South China Sea, saying it puts Asia at the risk of a military blunder with potentially serious consequences. China’s recent assertiveness in the South China Sea has increased military and diplomatic tensions between it and rival claimants, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan.

SUSTAINABILITY AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Large dams are not the answer to climate change in the Mekong Region – East by Southeast The Mekong River basin is home to over 65 million people. The ecological diversity within the basin sustains the region’s food security. The Mekong River is second to none when it comes to the amount and diversity of fish species which provide both food and income sources in Southeast Asia. But climate change is affecting many people now and it is not stopping. If high emitters of greenhouse gases are serious about addressing climate change, it is time that they started learning about climate justice. They need to learn about the myriad impacts of dams on people and the environment, which are already well known to millions of dam affected people globally.

Why Did China Opt Out of the Arctic Climate Change Statement? – The Diplomat On Sunday and Monday, foreign ministers and other international leaders met in Anchorage, Alaska to attend the Conference on Global Leadership in the Arctic: Cooperation, Innovation, Engagement, and Resilience (GLACIER). After the conference, the representatives of the Arctic Council members signed a joint statement affirming “our commitment to take urgent action to slow the pace of warming in the Arctic.” The Arctic states were joined by 10 of the 12 Arctic Council permanent observers – with China and India as the holdouts.

TNB’s power in 11,000 trees – The Star Online In an effort to conserve the environment, Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) has set a goal of planting 11,000 trees in 11 selected locations in the peninsula. TNB chairman Tan Sri Leo Moggie said the Tree for a Tree programme was an expression of the power company’s concern and commitment towards the sustainability of the environment in line with the country’s development.

Pelni, ASDP told to begin energy-conversion program – The Jakarta Post State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno has called on state-owned shipping firm Pelni and state-owned ferry operator PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry to immediately start their oil-to-gas energy conversion programs.

CHINA

Xi says China no threat, announces military cuts at parade – Thanh Nien News As fighter jets streaked through the skies of Beijing and tanks rolled through Tiananmen Square to commemorate the end of World War II, Chinese President Xi Jinping told the world that the nation was committed to peace and announced the biggest cuts to the army in almost two decades. Xi said that army personnel would be reduced by 300,000, the largest reduction to the 2.3 million-strong military since 1997. The announcement foreshadows the most sweeping overhaul of the military in at least three decades, moving it closer to a U.S.-style joint command structure, people familiar with the matter said. //Not exactly in agreement with China’s display at the parade. Also, see article below about China’s unveiling of largest killer drone yet.

Related: China’s second world war commemorations – in pictures – The Guardian

Related: China’s leaner army may pose a bigger challenge to U.S. – Thanh Nien News

China Unveils Its Largest Killer Drone To Date – The Diplomat China’s heaviest attack and reconnaissance drone to date, the Caihong 5 (CH-5), or Rainbow 5 recently made its maiden flight at an undisclosed airfield in Gansu province, according to China Military Online. According to the South China Morning Post, Chinese state television announced that the debut of the Rainbow 5 will “change the game in airstrikes.”

Weeks After Tianjin Blasts, Many Residents Await Compensation for Damaged Homes – NYT The chemical blasts that rocked the northeastern port city of Tianjin last month damaged an estimated 17,000 homes, shattering windows, overturning furniture and knocking down walls. But more than three weeks after the explosions, many Tianjin residents have yet to receive compensation for their losses, and some say they have been pressured into dropping their claims. //Over 100 fatalities and many more injured, still waiting to be compensated. The consequences of corruption and official negligence at its worst.

Related: Behind Deadly Tianjin Blast, Shortcuts and Lax Rules – NYT

IMF: Impact of China slowdown larger than expected – The Jakarta Post China’s economic slowdown is having a broader impact on the global economy than originally expected, especially on emerging markets, the International Monetary Fund said late Wednesday. In a report for Group of 20 finance chiefs meeting this week in Ankara, the IMF said the turmoil in China and other factors like capital flow reversals were increasing the risks to economic growth around the world.

China-led AIIB to offer loans with fewer strings attached: sources – The South China Morning Post The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank will require projects to be legally transparent and protect social and environmental interests, but will not ask borrowers to privatise or deregulate businesses for loans.

The China Economy: What Lessons for Africa? – Jakarta As the Chinese stock market falters, the economy slows and China’s economic footing doesn’t seem quite as secure as it did even just a few months ago, doubts are beginning to surface in Africa over whether it might be time to look beyond the China model.

SOUTHEAST ASIA

Post-bomb Bangkok Moves on, But With New Sense of Insecurity – The Irrawaddy One Bangkok resident says he can’t shake the horrid sight of what he saw, or the smell of death. Another says the initial shock is gone and he’s returned to his old routine—work, happy hour and taking selfies. Two weeks have now passed since the bombing at a central Bangkok shrine, giving residents of the Thai capital time to digest what authorities call the deadliest attack the country has ever experienced.

Related: Bangkok bomb: police say man arrested unlikely to be main suspect – The Guardian

Vietnam needs over $3.86 billion to upgrade north-south railway: report – Thanh Nien News Vietnam will possibly need nearly VND88.2 trillion (US$3.86 billion) to upgrade its north-south railway and increase the speed to 80-90 kilometers per hour from 50 kph at the moment, news website Dau Tu recently reported. The 1,726-kilometer railway will be able to transport 16 million passengers and 6 million tons of goods a year by 2020, it quoted the Vietnam Railway Authority as saying.

Garment Factories Downsize in Response to Minimum Wage – The Irrawaddy At least one factory has shut down, and several others have reduced their workforces and cut allowances, following the government’s adoption of a minimum wage. Ahead of the introduction of a 3,600 kyats (US$2.80) minimum wage, which took effect on Sept. 1, the Sabel Pwint Garment Factory in Rangoon’s Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone closed its doors. It is believed the company provided termination payments to all of its 237 employees.

Myanmar’s Election Chief Vows Free and Fair Elections – Radio Free Asia Myanmar’s election chief gave a verbal assurance on Wednesday that the country’s general elections in November will be free and fair, while one ethnic minority party called on the government to delay the vote because of damage caused by heavy flooding. “It will be free and fair; otherwise, I wouldn’t hold the elections,” said Tin Aye, chairman of the Union Election Commission (UEC), the body responsible for the polls in the country’s upcoming Nov. 8 general elections.

Related: Myanmar Election Body Rejects Muslim Parliamentary Candidates – Radio Free Asia

ADB, Myanmar Sign $3 Million Grant Flood Relief – ADB The Government of Myanmar and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) today signed a $3 million grant agreement to finance relief efforts for communities affected by recent flooding and landslides. The agreement was signed by U Maung Maung Win, Permanent Secretary of Myanmar’s Ministry of Finance, and Winfried Wicklein, ADB’s Myanmar Country Director.

Rice Fields at Risk in Western Cambodia With Lack of Rainfall – Radio Free Asia
A delay to the beginning of the rainy season, which typically lasts from the end of May through the first half of October, has devastated provinces that are home to the country’s largest area of rice fields and plantations, vice president of the National Committee for Disaster Management Nhim Vanda told RFA’s Khmer Service. “In my experience, if there is no rain in September, the rice in Pursat and Battambang provinces will be destroyed,” he said. According to Nhim Vanda, several thousand hectares (one hectare = 2.5 acres) of rice fields across Pursat and Battambang—as well as in the provinces of Banteay Meanchey, Takeo, Kampot, Kampong Speu and Siem Reap—are at risk of failure if the rains do not come.

At least 13 dead after migrant boat sinks off Malaysia: official – The Jakarta Post At least 13 people have drowned after a small wooden boat, believed to have been carrying about 70 Indonesian migrants, sank in the Malacca Strait early Thursday, Malaysian officials said.

YUNNAN

Remembering Yunnan’s role in World War Two – GoKunming While the capital celebrates and hundreds of millions watch the Beijing parade on television, Yunnan residents quietly reflect on their province’s stand in what is officially called the ‘Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression’. Although no parades will be held this year in Kunming commemorating those who fought and died, Yunnan’s stature as one of China’s last bastions of hope remains undiminished, if often a bit misunderstood.

Anning refinery fined for violation of national environmental laws – GoKunming Yunnan Petrochemical Company, a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation, was fined 200,000 yuan (US$31,000) for violating articles 19 and 24 of the national Environmental Protection Act. Specific details were not disclosed beyond mention of “significant changes and unauthorized construction” without the company filing required environmental impact assessment (EIA) documents.

This week’s digest was compiled by Rachel Tritsch with analysis by Rachel Tritsch and Brian Eyler.

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by Areeya Tivasuradej | September 4, 2015 · 3:06 am

Large dams are not the answer to climate change in the Mekong Region

Some may say it is too early to conclude that the changing weather patterns in the Mekong region – be it a longer dry season, unexpected river water level fluctuation, or cold days in early summer – are a result of climate change. Even if we could summarize the large number of expert debates and long list of research papers, it’s unlikely that a clear answer to the simple question “Is climate change happening in the Mekong?” would emerge.

But if instead we look on the ground, local communities along the Mekong River in Thailand will tell you that something is happening to the climate and that it’s not what it used to be.

A study¹ just published by local Thai communities who live along the Mekong River, titled “Ecology, Economics, Cultures of the Mekong Basin: From Kaeng Kood Koo to Pha Chan in a Changing Current” reports that weather patterns have been fluctuating oddly over the past several years. In addition, the water level in the Mekong River rises and ebbs unpredictably and unlike the past. These changes have greatly affected these communities who still rely on nature to make their living as fishers and farmers (see also video here).

Cold spells and heavy rains: The case of 2011

As an example, we can look back to 2011 when two incidents occurred that appeared odd to many Thai river-side communities and are still recalled now: a highly abnormal cold spell in March 2011 when Thailand is usually warming up ready for the hot season, and then a prolonged period of heavy rainfall that lasted much of 9 months in 2011.

In the Mekong Region, the hottest² time of the year usually falls in April. It is the same month when Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos celebrate the water festival, which practically speaking is a great way to cool off as the temperature becomes sweltering hot. But back in 2011, a month before this large festive event, the average temperature in Thailand cut to almost half its normal rate to 18 degrees Celsius (°C)³ in Bangkok. In Ubon Ratchatani Province in northeastern Thailand next to the Mekong River, the temperature dropped to around 15 °C.

Meanwhile, as the average temperature seemed to struggle to go beyond 25 °C for the whole month of March, the monsoon brought in at least 4 large storms swelling the Mekong River.

To the communities living alongside the river, the most apparent effect of the chill and increased water volume was on the fishery. Local fisher folks hold an intimateknowledge⁵ of the Mekong fisheries that is passed on from generation to generation. They understand the seasonality of the Mekong River, including how the river’s ecosystems relate to the different types of fish migration, breeding habits, and behaviors. The fishers’ observed that the change in weather pattern and water level in March 2011caused many fish to become dull⁶ to find food and instead the fish started hiding behind rocks and in pools. As there were less fish swimming in the river, it affected the fish catch of fishers, such that many fishers gave up fishing during the period as it was uneconomical to spend money on diesel fuel when they knew they could find no fish.

The heavy rainfall that started in March continued on for another nine months. In July 2011, Tropical Storm Nock-ten made land fall, bringing severe flooding to North, Northeastern and central Thailand. Large swathes of farmland, as well as Thailand’s capital city Bangkok, were left under water.

2011’s rainy season added so much water to the Mekong River and made the current so unusually turbulent that many riverbanks and riverbank gardens were flooded or even washed away. Many riverbank farmers lost their crops and therefore their income. Assistance and financial help from the local authorities made their way to some communities, but many admitted that they still had to pay for another round of seeds and sprouts by themselves⁷ hoping that the river water would not flood their land a second time.

Fish and agriculture are the most basic foundation of the livelihoods and economy of the Thai communities along the Mekong River. Fish are a key source of protein. Riverbank gardens are the people’s homemade salad bar. They are both a steady source of income for many communities. The changing weather and its impact on the Mekong River have impacted both.

A Thai fisher with a fish caught from the Mekong River in Baan Muang, Nongkhai Province, February 2013. (Photo by TERRA.)

Climate change as experts (and greenhouse gas emitters) see it

According to studies done by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and theMekong River Commission (MRC), climate change will affect and change the Mekong River in the coming years. And there’s no guarantee that locals are ready to face those challenges. IPCC⁸ and MRC‘s data point out three things that would result from climate change:

1. Increasing temperature across the basin: One consequence of this is that there will be accelerated glacial melt in the Mekong headwaters, which in the long term will reduce the dry season water released from the glaciers
2. More rain in the rainy season; less rain in the dry season: this will greatly affect both agriculture and fisheries across the basin
3. Longer summers and shorter winters: this could lead to warmer water temperatures and could change fish behaviors, especially related to breeding and migration

To alleviate the impacts of climate change, many governments who ratified the Kyoto Protocol – created under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) treaty to reduce greenhouse gases emissions – came up with an idea to create mechanisms to meet their carbon emission reduction goals. One of the mechanisms is the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)⁹ which provides a long list of projects like renewable energy, methane capture, and reforestation as options to seek carbon credits. Though it sounds like a good mechanism, CDM was never designed to pressure emitters to reduce emissions, but simply to help emitters to “trade-off” carbon emission.

Hydropower development is included in the list of CDM projects. Water is supposed to be a great source of renewable energy to generate electricity as it was at first assumed that dams don’t emit carbon. Yet, recent research¹⁰ has revealed this idea to be profoundly wrong and in fact large hydropower dams can have significant carbon footprints.

In 2002, Singapore researchers reminded scientists that greenhouse gas emissions from hydropower reservoirs are under-estimated¹¹. Another report¹² published in Nature Climate Change points out that hydropower is not as low-carbon as assumed; instead dams produce emissions as they trap sediments and vegetation in the reservoir, which then decay and release methane and carbon dioxide. An academic study by Marco Aurelio dos Santos¹³ and his team in 2006 indicated that greenhouse gas emissions from hydropower per megawatt could in some cases be as high as fossil-fueled plants, especially in tropical areas. In a letter in Nature Geoscience in 2011, a group of researchers¹⁴ called for significant consideration to be given to hydropower dams’ carbon footprint.

But it is not only a dam’s “carbon footprint” that should be of concern. The process of dam construction can wipe out carbon sinks by triggering deforestation within and beyond reservoir areas, as has happened at the Lower Sesan 2 dam¹⁵ site in northeast Cambodia. Dams also block sediments and nutrients from making their way downstream to replenish soils, as well as to rebuild the delta areas and avoid excessive river bank erosion. With less nutrients feeding the soil, farmers may opt for chemical fertilizers to replace the missing nutrients, but in the long term this destroys the soil health and creates a cycle of agrochemical dependency – as well as potentially farmer debt.

Climate justice not climate change

Treaties like the Kyoto Protocol should be designed to pressure high emitters of greenhouse gases to reduce their greenhouse gas contribution that lead to detrimental impacts on the earth and on communities, many of whom are being left in an increasingly vulnerable situation. But at the moment it appears designed to find a means to help these emitters’ behavior appear acceptable before the global community by skewing the climate change debate towards carbon credits instead of true reductions.

The Mekong River basin is home to over 65 million people. The ecological diversity¹⁶within the basin sustains the region’s food security¹⁷. The Mekong River is second to none when it comes to the amount and diversity¹⁸ of fish species which provide both food and income sources in Southeast Asia. But climate change is affecting many people now and it is not stopping. If high emitters of greenhouse gases are serious about addressing climate change, it is time that they started learning about climate justice. They need to learn about the myriad impacts of dams on people¹⁹ and the environment, which are already well known to millions of dam affected people globally.

Flooding of a riverbank garden in Phra Klang Toong village, Nakhon Phanom Province, Thailand in December 2013. (Photo by TERRA.)

The lower Mekong River is already feeling the impact of a series of dams built upstream in China. Thai riparian communities faced another flooding²⁰ in the dry season that spanned between the end of 2013 and early 2014 when the Mekong River unprecedentedly and unexpectedly rose between one and two meters, which lasted for approximately a week before receding. Affected riverside communities lost²¹ their boats, crops, fish stocks and income as a result of the rapid rise in river level. There was no warning and no government officials reacted to the situation promptly. Locals were left to cope with the situation by their own means. Though no government came forward to confirm if the exceptional water rise and quick ebb were caused by China’s dams, local communities²² stood firm to point to upstream dams for the loss and damages.

With the waning of fossil fuels like coal that are also gaining a bad reputation for releasing large amounts of carbon and creating pollution, some developers and governments are proposing a turn towards hydropower projects and apparently with the support of the CDM. Yet such an approach will never tackle the problem at its root as the current development model champions industrialization and urbanization and still prioritizes high GDP pursued through the use of dirty and unsustainable electricity sources. Large dams are false solutions²³ to climate change as they fragment free-flowing rivers and devastate²⁴ local natural resources and communities. Instead a more radical rethinking of development is required, including how we relate to our rivers and the wider ecosystems that could sustain us for the present and future generations.

This article was originally printed here on the Mekong Commons site. It is reprinted with permission of the author.

Footnotes

Chantawong et al. (2015) Ecology, Economics, Cultures of the Mekong Basin: From Kaeng Kood Koo to Pha Chan in a Changing Current. Published by Foundation for Ecological Recovery (Thai language). ↩
The Nation (2011) “More cold weather coming“. 29 March 2011. ↩
James Hookway and Wilawan Watcharasakwet. The Wall Street Journal. 19 March 2011. Thailand Braces for Tsunami, Then Cold Snap. ↩
Chantawong et al. (2015) Ecology, Economics, Cultures of the Mekong Basin: From Kaeng Kood Koo to Pha Chan in a Changing Current. p 184 Published by Foundation for Ecological Recovery (Thai language). ↩
A River, Its Fish and Its People: Local Knowledge of the Natural Environment at the Mouth of the Mun River. Mekong Watch. May 2004. ↩
Chantawong et al. (2015) Ecology, Economics, Cultures of the Mekong Basin: From Kaeng Kood Koo to Pha Chan in a Changing Current. Published by Foundation for Ecological Recovery (Thai language). ↩
Chantawong, Montree. “The Shifting Mekong and Damages to Downstream: Who’s Responsible?“. 19 March 2014. ↩
IPCC (2000). IPCC Special Report – Emission Scenarios. Summary for Policymakers. A Special Report of IPCC Working Group III Published for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). ↩
Mira Käkönen. CDM and challenges in delivering to the poor: case study from Cambodia. Finland Futures Research Centre, University of Turku. 28 February 2012.↩
Roberts, Kale. Mother Earth News (2015). “Renewable Energy Is Not Always ‘Green’: Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Hydroelectric Reservoirs“. 2 July 2015. ↩
Li, Siyue and Lu, X. X. (2012). Uncertainties of Carbon Emission from Hydroelectric Reservoirs. Nat Hazards. 24 March 2012. ↩
Butler, Rhett. Mongabay (2012). “Tropical Dams Are A False Solution to Climate Change“. 27 May 2012. ↩
dos Santos, Marco Aurelio. et al. Gross Greenhouse Gas Fluxes from Hydro-power Reservoir compared to Thermo-power Plants. Energy Policy. (2006) ↩
Barros, Nathan. et al. Carbon Emission From Hydroelectric Reservoirs Linked to Reservoir Age and Latitude. Nature Geoscience. (2011). ↩
Titthara, May. Phnom Penh Post. “Call for Sesan 2 Logging Halt“. 1 July 2015. ↩
The Guardian. “Thorny frog and dementor wasp among new species discovered in Mekong“. 27 May 2015. ↩
International Rivers (2015). “The Mekong Feeds Millions: Dams Threaten Southeast Asia’s Vital Lifeline“. ↩
VietnamNet Bridge. “Hydropower plants likely to affect Mekong River’s fishery resources: experts“. 27 December 2014. ↩
Zaffos, Joshua. “Life on Mekong Faces Threats As Major Dams Begin to Rise“. 20 February 2014. ↩
International Rivers (2014). “Mekong Floods: The Dampening of the Wintery Suffering“. 8 January 2014. ↩
Chantawong, Montree. “The Shifting Mekong and Damages to Downstream: Who’s Responsible?”. 19 March 2014. ↩
Clark, Pilita. Financial Times. “Troubled Waters: the Mekong River Crisis“. 18 July 2014. ↩
TERRA (2013). “The False Solutions to Climate Change: A Case Study on Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin“. ↩
Cronin, Richard P. World Politics Review (2015). “International Pressure Could Still Turn the Tide on Mekong Dams“. 25 March 2015. ↩

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Tagged as climate change, communities, dams, flood retreat agriculture, hydropower, livelihoods, mekong dams, sustainable development

by GoKunming | September 3, 2015 · 2:42 am

Anning refinery fined for violation of national environmental laws

The Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection issued a modest fine over the weekend to anAnning oil refinery. While the “administrative penalty” did not specifically mention pollution, the facility in question has been the source of public concern and controversy since construction began in 2013.

Yunnan Petrochemical Company, a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation, was fined 200,000 yuan (US$31,000) for violating articles 19 and 24 of the national Environmental Protection Act. Specific details were not disclosed beyond mention of “significant changes and unauthorized construction” without the company filing required environmental impact assessment (EIA) documents.

However, the two statutes Yunnan Petrochemical Company was found to be in violation of are both concerned with the construction of factories or processing installations deemed potentially harmful to the environment. Article 19 is specifically concerned with the “utilization of natural resources”, and reads, in part:

The development and utilization of natural resources is bound to affect and damage the environment, [including] resources such as water, land, forests, grasslands, oceans, minerals…All types of exploitation of natural resources must comply with the relevant laws and regulations and fulfill ecological environmental impact assessment procedures according to law…and key construction projects, must comply with soil and water conservation programs should [or] otherwise will not be allowed to start construction.

In addition to the fine, the Anning refinery was ordered to shut down construction on the parts of the factory not in compliance with EIA requirements. Those sections will be allowed to reopen only after the proper documents have been submitted and approved by the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The refinery, which processes “ten million tons” of petroleum each year, has been a source of community concern since construction began outside of Anning in 2013. Local residents feared the plant would produce the chemical paraxylene — an important ingredient in the manufacturing of plastic bottles and polyester clothing. If inhaled or absorbed through the skin, the gas causes varying degrees of damage to abdominal organs and the central nervous system.

Concerns over the potential danger the facility could pose to public health went viral on microblogging services, and led to large street protests in Kunming. The city’s mayor eventually addressed demonstrators, promising to look into the matter. However, no substantial news of a final decision was made public, and the refinery operated without further media comment until Saturday.

This article written by Patrick Scally was first published here on the GoKunming website on September 1, 2015. Eastbysoutheast.com reported extensively on the the PX protest issue in Kunming in 2013.

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Tagged as Anning, Anning oil refinery, Kunming, MEP, Petrochina, protests, PX

by Brian Eyler | September 1, 2015 · 5:39 am

No Recourse: Upper Mekong Dam Spells End for Tibetan Village

Cizhong village in the background along the west bank of the Upper Mekong in Yunnan.

Cizhong, a remote Tibetan village in China’s Yunnan province, has no recourse against the onslaught of impacts from the construction of the Wunonglong dam on the Upper Mekong River.

This year has seen no pause in activity from civil society organizations and community level stakeholders in the Lower Mekong targeting criticism at the Xayaburi and Don Sahong dams in Laos, both high-profile projects on the main stem of the Mekong River. Moreover, evidence shows how efforts of these groups are actually delaying the construction of these projects and raising the costs associated with their completion. Dual influences of economic uncertainty in China and Southeast Asia and the unavoidable effects of climate change in addition to grassroots efforts are challenging the popular notion of a “domino effect” of inevitable hydropower development on the Mekong.

Yet while the domino effect on the Lower Mekong may be under question, it has prevailed in China’s stretch of the Mekong , silencing activism and subjecting affected communities and local ecologies to the vagaries of unchecked development. The 990MW Wunonglong dam, scheduled for completion in 2019, and the impacts of its reservoir on thousands of households serves as a case in point.

Construction began at the Wunonglong dam site in 2010.

I first heard of the impacts of the Wunonglong dam on the day I walked into Cizhong, a village 40km upstream of the construction site. Cizhong sits on a small plateau 100 meters above the Mekong at the southern end of Deqin county in one of the most remote areas of Yunnan province. I crossed into Cizhong on a bridge that will be inundated by the dam’s reservoir in a few years. Looming fifty meters above, a half constructed bridge built by the dam developer Huaneng Hydrolancang will upon completion bisect a patch of carefully maintained rice paddies located between the river and the village.

Cizhong is majority Tibetan, and for years both Chinese and foreign tourists have flocked to the village for two reasons. First, eighty percent of the village’s 115 households are members of the local Catholic church established in the late 19^th century by French missionaries. Several times a week, villagers file into the stone Cizhong cathedral, a nationally protected structure, to take part in mass led by Li Fei, a priest from Inner Mongolia. The prayers sung in unison before mass are to the tune of commonly known Tibetan Buddhist chants. European tourists typically line the back pews to catch a glimpse of this uncommon marriage of cultures.

Cizhong’s Catholic Church, a nationally protected structure built in the early 20th century.

Second, Cizhong is home to a growing cottage wine industry, also introduced by the French missionaries prior to the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. The wine boom started in the late 1990s with the resurrection of a Rose Honey grape variety found growing on the cathedral grounds and no longer cultivated in France. About ten years ago, the local Deqin county government introduced agricultural assistance programs that brought in other kinds of grape varieties as well as technical aid to supply a larger wine making industry in the Shangri-la region. Currently, most villagers sell their grapes to middlemen each harvest, but some choose to make their own wine to retail at Cizhong’s local wineries and guesthouses.

New neighbors

However, the things that make Cizhong special may not be around for long. The Wunonglong dam threatens not just Cizhong’s local economy that has delivered modest levels of prosperity to the village over the past thirty years, but also the religious harmony between local Tibetan Catholics and Buddhists.

In two years Yanmen, an upstream community with more than two hundred households, will be entirely relocated to Cizhong. Yanmen sits low along the banks of the Mekong and will be completely flooded by Wunonglong’s reservoir and the only place to transplant Yanmen’s residents is on top of Cizhong’s rice paddies. Upon hearing the news of Yanmen’s takeover of their rice paddies, Cizhong’s villagers reacted emotionally as the paddies create a critical community space for social interaction. “The village elders cried when they heard the rice paddies would be destroyed. The paddies were carved with their bare hands in the 1960’s and now the government wants to take them away?” says a local villager. Another villager claimed one rice harvest can feed the village for two years. Without a rice crop, villagers will have to generate income to overcome a critical food security issue.

Part of Yanmen village located below the inundation zone of Wunonglong’s reservoir.

The day I walked through Cizhong was the last day for the giant walnut trees that lined Cizhong’s only road. To widen the road making way for Yanmen’s relocation, the remains of the trees, which each can produce up to 10000 RMB (1500 USD) of walnuts per year for sale at local markets, were stacked into wrecked piles of limbs and logs. Villagers received 300-10000 RMB in compensation per tree, at most enough to cover one year’s harvest.

The wine industry, as well as walnuts, has suffered as a result of the relocation. “They cut down an entire row of my grapes,” says a villager who also lost walnut trees to the road’s expansion. “We were only compensated 40 RMB for a healthy vine and 30 RMB for saplings. One vine produces 40 RMB of grapes per year, and I have no new land to plant on. They took 100 of my vines.”

Road widening brings down scores of Cizhong’s walnut trees.

No equity, nowhere to turn

Land compensation is an issue of major contention in Cizhong. More than half of Cizhong’s agriculturally productive land is being claimed for redistribution to the incoming residents of Yanmen and originally villagers were offered 30,000 RMB per mu of land (1 acre equals 6 mu) lost to Yanmen’s relocation. Currently the local government is offering 100,000 RMB per mu, but Cizhong’s villagers continue to hold out.

“The villagers who moved to the city long ago and no longer live here agreed to 100,000 RMB per mu. It’s easy for them because they have other jobs and other income, but to us, the taking of our land is taking away our only source of income,” says a villager surnamed Wang. Some villagers will lose all of their productive land. Stall tactics make sense since the local government will take 30% of the compensation and only dole out the agreed upon compensation in monthly installments over 15 years. At the current offer, with only 3000 RMB per mu in compensation per month, even the most business savvy individuals will not be able to survive. “We will wait,” says Wang with unsteady confidence.

Yanmen’s residents will rebuild on Cizhong’s carefully cultivated rice paddies

I inquired about legal recourse. “The local mayor only listens to money. He’s not on our side,” continues Wang. “I tried to file a petition in Deqin, the county seat, but the official there said the only way he’d review our petition was if the entire village showed up. That’s impossible. We don’t know who to turn to.”

Two hundred meters from the village on the opposite bank of the Mekong, new road construction and a tunneling project carries on day and night. Like the old bridge, the current road to Cizhong will be flooded by the dam’s reservoir. Noise from stone crushing machinery and cement processers pervades the valley. Last year a landslide created by the road project forced the river to change course and washed away three mu of Wang’s riverside agricultural land. To date he has received no compensation. Wang claims landslides opposite the village have resulted in the deaths of more than fifty construction workers. He points to cracks in the plaster walls of his traditional home built of wood and earth. “My house shakes all day long from the construction.”

Highway construction opposite Cizhong has led to landslides and more than 50 deaths.

“Ten years ago we had everything we needed and now life is only getting worse,” continues Wang. Electricity generated by the Wunonglong dam will not be distributed to Cizhong. In a prelude to Cizhong’s current worries, a small-scale hydropower project adjacent to the village was constructed a few years ago. It sends no power to the village, and to make matters worse, the small scale project cut off access to a local stream and to pasture lands beyond it. “We let our cows out to pasture in the hills but they came back with bloodied legs because they couldn’t cross the land affected by the small hydropower project. Now there’s nowhere for our cows to graze.” When the small scale project was commissioned, developers promised locals 500 units of free electricity – those promises were never fulfilled. Not a single Cizhong villager was employed in the construction of the small scale power station, and the price of electricity has been on a steady rise in the village.

Squeezed by national development needs

When Chinese dam developers conduct feasibility studies and first meet with locals affected by projects, they fervently sing praises of hydropower, boasting of how the dam will deliver local communities out of poverty and provide new income sources. Reality tells a different story as infrastructure development projects in southwest China nearly always fail to provide net benefits to those who live closest to them. In the case of China’s hydropower development on the Mekong, most power is sent to cities on or near China’s eastern coast. And as China doubles down on its commitments to reducing carbon output, the investment in hydropower projects, particularly in the under-developed southwest is amplified.

In Cizhong as in many other parts of upland southwest China, the Chinese government’s “core interests” of energy dependence and carbon reduction combine forces to turn land held by indigenous ethnic peoples into a marketable commodity. Individual livelihoods, the social cohesion provided by generational practices and reliance on the land, and local traditions are consistently marginalized.

A few years ago at a village meeting, a former Cizhong mayor berated the villagers shouting “This land, this water, these mountains, they are not yours! Stop acting like these are yours! This is the state’s land, and these are the state’s resources.”

From a legal perspective, the Chinese state owns the land and everything above and below it, but villagers who are responsible for the productive economic activities that happen on that land are legally guaranteed compensation at fair market value for land grabbed by developers or involved in relocation efforts. Yet on China’s periphery, even the commoditization process fails. The marginalized nature of Cizhong and distance from the state’s judicial apparatus prevents fair compensation. Further, the law lacks consideration for values attached to various ways upland ethnic peoples use the land.

The Chinese state apparatus sees compensation to and relocation of rural peoples affected by development through standards applied to lowland agriculture, where patches of land are treated as commodities producing an accountable thus taxable yield on an annual basis. In upland China as in parts of Southeast Asia, land use patterns are less standardized and less predictable. Villagers there use mountain slopes as common pasture land for grazing animals, the forests as areas for collecting consumable and marketable products such as the matsutake mushroom and caterpillar fungus, or as in Cizhong’s case, walnuts produced by trees lining its roads and fields. The value of community-building functions created by these shared land use practices often is greater than the cumulative economic value derived from the land.

Sunday mass in Cizhong’s Catholic church.

“We are worried about village harmony,” Wang continues, discussing how the daily routines of Cizhong’s Catholics are still deeply entwined with Tibetan Buddhist culture. “It’s common to see Buddhist monks present to give blessings at Catholic weddings and Christmas and Easter. We’ve achieved this harmony through decades of exchange with our Buddhist neighbors.” However, all of Yanmen’s residents are believers in Tibetan Buddhism and unfamiliar with Catholic culture. Wang is worried that despite common ethnic heritage, the influx of Buddhists will upset community harmony and social interaction. He labels Yanmen’s residents as overly superstitious and tells stories of how they are caught up in a spiteful sectoral feud between a local protector deity and the Dalai Lama that divides families in this part of the Tibetan world.

As if matters could not get any worse, when Yanmen village moves in, Cizhong will lose its name. Yanmen is one rung higher in China’s administrative ranking of localities, providing further risk to the interdependent cottage tourism and wine industries that have bet their futures on Cizhong’s name and unique history. The name change coupled with the inundation of Tibetan Buddhist villagers from Yanmen will dilute the uniqueness of Cizhong’s past and have a particular impact on Cizhong’s tourism industry. With less land available for agricultural production per household, villager’s annual grape yields will decrease having an impact on income. Villagers might choose to switch to higher value crops, but options for diversification are few in the canyonlands of the Upper Mekong. Alternatively villagers will be pressured to intensify the use of fertilizers to increase grape yields, pushing limits on sustainability and subjecting the local ecology to the effects of dangerous chemicals.

Spring grapes in Cizhong

With no avenue for legal recourse and no one coming to aid the villagers, Cizhong’s days are numbered. The demoralizing effects of the Wunonglong dam are obvious and with nowhere to turn to for assistance or relief, Cizhong’s villagers can only passively wait to absorb the next shockwave. Censorship and the tightening of restrictions on NGOs under Xi Jinping’s government discourages civil society groups from intervening in cases like Cizhong’s making this unfortunate village just one of many caught up in the inevitable leviathan of energy infrastructure development in southwest China.

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Tagged as Cizhong, land compensation, land grabbing, mekong dams, Tibet, Tibetans, tourism, wine, Wunonglong, Yunnan, Zomia

by News Digest | August 31, 2015 · 7:06 am

Regional Roundup for Week of 8.30.2015

A huge week for Asia. An epic stock market tumble in China had repercussions for markets globally and has raised questions over China’s economic strength, while a 3% devaluation of the yuan has stoked fears of a possible trade war. Much for Xi and Obama to talk about next month. In Thailand, a key suspect, thought to be a foreigner, in the Erawan shrine bombing has been arrested. In the apartment he was found in, Thai authorities recovered bomb making materials and a stack of fake Turkish passports. Theories linking the bombing to the repatriation of scores of Uyghur refugees ealrier this summer seem to be correct. Stay with ExSE as the investigation digs further.

EXSE FOCUS

Wall St. Slips Lower After a Wild Week – NYT Investors were calmed by strong growth figures from the United States, while China continued to take measures to shore up stocks and the renminbi. // The government announced earlier this year its plan to freeze annual GDP growth at 7%. Recent stock slips could cause problems with this carefully calculated maneuver.

Related: Press freedom watchdog calls for release of Chinese business reporter – The Guardian

Related: The US Still Runs the World – Project Syndicate

How to Solve China’s Currency Parity Puzzle? – ChinaFile The yuan lost about 3 percent of its value against the U.S. dollar between August 11 and 13, roiling global equity markets and stoking fears that China had pushed a trade war button.

Related: What does China’s Shock Yuan Devaluation mean for Africa? – China in Africa: The Real Story

Chinese Media Jumps on Tragic Virginia Shooting – ChinaFile Within China, the high rate of gun violence in the United States is widely known and often seen as a flaw in the U.S. political system, a criticism repeated after the Virginia shooting.

Thai Police Announce Arrest in Bangkok Shrine Bombing – NYT The Thai police on Saturday arrested a foreign man who they said was likely to have been involved in the Aug. 17 blast, which killed 20 people.//Look for ExSE’s analysis of the Erawan bombing, the search for the culprit and its connection to Uyghur and Pan-Turkic nationalism in SE Asia this week.

Related: Bangkok Bombing Spotlights Uyghur Woes in Southeast Asia – The Diplomat

National Security Adviser Meets With Chinese President Before His U.S. Visit – NYT Susan E. Rice met with President Xi Jinping and other officials and discussed a number of issues that included areas of tension between the two nations.

Related: Can President Xi’s September Visit Save US-China Relations? – The Diplomat

Related: US-China Strategic Rivalry: Balancing the Rebalance – The Diplomat

Sit-In Leaders Are Charged in Hong Kong – NYT Three students who led last year’s pro-democracy Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong were charged over their roles in setting off the massive rallies and sit-ins.

REGIONAL RELATIONS

A Military Game of Chicken in the South China Sea? – The Diplomat Amid criticisms of China’s island-reclamation activities, the U.S. and China continued to trade accusations that the other is militarizing the South China Sea.

Related: Taiwan and Its South China Sea Peace Initiative – The Diplomat

Related: Philippine Nationalism and the South China Sea – The Diplomat

Human rights groups face global crackdown ‘not seen in a generation’ – The Guardian Laws affecting funding, requiring registration and prohibiting protest are among controls that are making it difficult for NGOs and other campaign groups.

Related: British rights activist charged with defamation in Thailand – The Guardian

Related: Lao Migrants To Be Witnesses in Thai Human Trafficking Case – Radio Free Asia

China, Japan battle to build Indonesia’s first bullet train – The Jakarta Post China and Japan are locked in an increasingly heated contest to build Indonesia’s first high-speed railway, with the Asian giants sweetening deals and turning up the charm as time runs out to woo Jakarta.//Add high-speed rail to the growing list of projects where the Japanese and Chinese. Look for an ExSE report on Chinese, Thai and Japanese cooperation and competition on Myanmar’s Dawei Deep Sea Port project coming soon.

Chinese oil rig to continue drilling near Vietnamese coast – SCMP A Chinese oil rig at the centre of last year’s standoff between China and Vietnam will continue drilling not far from Vietnam’s coast, China’s maritime safety authorities said on Tuesday.

US visa programme popular with Chinese derided as ‘immigration reform for 1pc’ – SCMP With immigration a hot topic on the presidential campaign trail, unions and immigrant advocates are targeting a federal visa programme popular with Chinese that they deride as “immigration reform for the 1 per cent.”//Tied up in this are discussions about job creation and China pursuing corruption and graft suspects abroad.

US Admiral: China ‘Very Interested’ in RIMPAC 2016 – The Diplomat China was invited to participate in RIMPAC for the first time in 2014, but some have already argued that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) should not be invited back in 2016.

Related: Should the Pentagon Fear China’s Newest Weapon? – The Diplomat

SUSTAINABILITY AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

China, US to cooperate in developing ‘clean coal’ technologies to help combat climate change – SCMP Officials from China and the United States have taken a major step towards an agreement to advance “clean coal” technologies that claim to reduce the fuel’s contribution to climate change.//Climate change mitigation continues to be a great point of cooperation between the US and China. Good to see that stress in other areas of the bilateral relationship haven’t prevented building upon past achievements in climate change research.

Dams ‘destroying Mekong fish stock’ – The Nation Fishermen in delta and Northeast Thailand say dams in China and Laos have hit breeding and yields, forcing many to quit.//ExSE has been personally observing fish stock depletion in Chiang Rai province for the past three years. There is little doubt in our minds that hydro projects on the upper Mekong are indeed causing fish population decline.

Related: Large dams are not the answer to climate change in the Mekong Region – Mekong Commons

Adapting to air pollution with clean air stands in China – The Guardian To adapt or mitigate? As with climate change, both mitigation and adaptation are needed to tackle air pollution in China.

Related: A Small Chinese Experiment With Large Environmental Implications – The Diplomat

Thai Locals Incensed over Krabi Coal Power Plan – The Irrawaddy Many residents of Krabi, a popular tourism province in southern Thailand, are opposing the government’s plan to build a coal plant close to their homes.

Work starts on Vietnam’s first solar power plant – Thanh Nien News Potential is huge as Vietnam records around 2,000-2,500 hours of sunlight annually.

Edinburgh zoo says giant panda Tian Tian lost cub during pregnancy – The Guardian Giant panda had been expected to give birth last week, but experts now suspect she absorbed the foetus into the womb.

Thailand destroys 2-tonne ivory stockpile amid junta crackdown – SCMP Thailand destroyed more than two tonnes of ivory Wednesday – a victory for animal rights groups fighting against the trade in a country renowned for being a hub for illegal tusks.

Related: US praises Thailand for crushing 2.1 tonnes of illegal ivory –The Nation

CHINA

China Holds 23 Linked to Fatal Blasts in Tianjin – NYT Chinese leaders have moved vigorously in recent days to quell outrage over the blasts, which rattled top leaders and raised questions about the safety of China’s industrial zones.// It was never in doubt that officials’ heads would roll over the Tianjin blast – of course many of them are being investigated for corrutpion.

Related: China’s Disaster Management – NYT

Explosion at China chemical plant leaves one dead and nine injured – The Guardian One person has been killed and nine injured in an explosion at a chemical plant in eastern China, state media has said.

A Fake Goldman Sachs Underlines a Real Chinese Strength – NYT The investment bank joins a long list of counterfeits that includes Apple stores and British villages.

China arrests Christians who opposed removals of crosses – The Guardian Human rights lawyer and church activists understood to be among people detained after Communist party campaign to take down religious symbols.

Human Rights Lawyer Prevented From Flying Out of Beijing – NYT Liang Xiaojun is part of a large circle of rights lawyers in China, hundreds of whom have been questioned or detained since early July in a crackdown.

Top bosses at website of Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily detained for suspected graft – SCMP The president and a vice-president of People.cn – the website of People’s Daily – have been taken away by Henan prosecutors for alleged bribery, state media reported yesterday.//It appears that with the arrests of journalists for reporting ‘fake information’ on China’s stock market crash, and now this, that Xi’s anti-corruption drive has switched gears. As an acquaintance said, “We always knew you couldn’t talk about politics, but now it seems you can’t talk about anything.”

China Denies Sending Additional Troops to North Korean Border – The Diplomat China’s state media stayed away from the story – in fact it appeared that censors were actively deleting the relevant social media posts – and on Thursday, China’s Defense Ministry officially denied the reports.

Related: Assessing North Korea’s ‘Ground Game’ with China – The Diplomat

The leading power: China to take charge in Iran’s nuclear plant revamp – SCMP Iranian Vice-President Ali Akbar Salehi, who is also head of the country’s Atomic Energy Organisation, on Friday said China would play “a leading role” in redesigning the Arak heavy-water reactor to significantly reduce its plutonium output.//With the world watching Iran’s post-deal nuclear program, this is a good opportunity for China to positively involve itself in a very significant project. Good to see China taking Great Power responsibility.

Chinese military on charm offensive as it announces joint drills with Malaysia, US and Australia – SCMP The military will hold joint drills with Malaysian forces in the strategic Strait of Malacca next month, the defence ministry said yesterday, as a training exercise launched featuring Chinese, Australian and American troops.

Related: Russia and China Kick Off Naval Exercise in Sea of Japan – The Diplomat

Related: Philippines, Malaysia Hold Joint Naval Exercises Amid Security Concerns – The Diplomat // Although the listed reasons for cooperation do not include protection against China’s militarization in the South China Sea, could this be some early signs of Southeast Asian military alliance against China’s efforts to dominate the territory?

SOUTHEAST ASIA

ASEAN members discuss effective border security – The Jakarta Post Representatives of ASEAN member countries highlighted the importance of effective border security amid rapidly increasing connectivity in Asia during a regional meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday.//With the ASEAN Economic Community’s implementation happening sometime in the next century, border security will be a priority for ASEAN members.

UN warns of fresh wave of boatpeople in Asia as monsoon season ends – SCMP A fresh surge of refugees and migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh is expected to set out in smugglers’ rickety boats for southeast Asia when the monsoon season ends in about a month, the United Nations said.//After a disastrous spring, all eyes should be on the Andaman Sea and Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia’s handling of the refugee crisis.

Related: A break for the border: Mae Sot – Southeast Asia Globe Magazine

Related: Koh Kong zone ‘will reduce illegal migrants’ – NationMultimedia.com

Myanmar Democracy Icon Finds Herself Assailed as Authoritarian – NYT As landmark elections approach, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate, is being openly criticized by activists, commentators and intellectuals.//ASSK should be a more outspoken proponent of minority rights in Myanmar. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily win you votes with the people who forms her party’s base.

Related: 2 More Opposition Candidates Disqualified by Election Commission – The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Truth About Myanmar’s New Discriminatory Laws – The Diplomat The euphemistically-termed “Protection of Race and Religion” bills raise serious questions about the country’s future.

Related: Rohingya IDPs Detained in Rangoon: Police – The Irrawaddy Magazine

Ceasefire date will follow next meeting: govt – DVB Multimedia Group A date will be announced for the signing of a nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) after next month’s meeting between ethnic leaders and President Thein Sein, according to the Burmese government’s chief negotiator at the peace talks, Union Minister Aung Min.

Related: Arakan Army Calls for Calm After Bangladesh Border Clash – The Irrawaddy Magazine

Thai soldiers helping Myanmar flood victims – NationMultimedia.com The Royal Thai Armed Forces yesterday dispatched 51 soldiers on a C130 aircraft to help flood victims in Myanmar.

Related: Chin Govt Requests $15.5m Flood Rehabilitation Grant – The Irrawaddy Magzine

Related: ADB to Provide $3 Million For Myanmar Flood Relief – ADB.org News Release

Disputes Continue Over Cambodian Government’s Official Map – Radio Free Asia A Cambodian official in charge of the country’s borders denounced an opposition lawmaker who accused him of lying about a map of the Southeast Asian nation he found in the U.S. Library of Congress, amid ongoing debate over the charts that the government uses to demarcate its border with Vietnam.

That’s a lot of dope: Cambodia seizes US$7 million worth of marijuana hidden in coffee bags – SCMP Cambodian police on Tuesday showed off a seizure of nearly 1.5 tonnes of marijuana worth more than $7 million packed into coffee bags, part of an ongoing drug crackdown in the country.

‘First Lady’ of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge dies at 83 – Thanh Nien Daily “Her body will be cremated on Monday evening,” her son Ieng Vuth told AFP by telephone from Pailin.

Vietnam to free 18,200 prisoners in amnesty, but no political activists – The Guardian Country’s second biggest-ever amnesty to mark independence celebrations includes release of 34 foreigners.

Related: Hanoi to close 40 streets for National Day parade – Thanh Nien Daily

Malaysia finds mass graves of 24 suspected human trafficking victims – The Guardian Malaysian authorities have found mass graves containing the remains of more than 20 people believed to be human trafficking victims near the border with Thailand, police said on Sunday.

No more Mr Nice Guy – The Economist: Asia DOWN a quiet lane in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital, campaigners at trestle tables are doing a roaring trade in yellow T-shirts. The volunteers have already flogged more than 30,000 of the garments, which are becoming de rigueur for Malaysians planning to attend protests on August 29th-30th to demand the resignation of the country’s prime minister, Najib Razak.//Protests ongoing, former PM of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad has called for Najib’s resignation as well.

Singapore Gears Up for its September 11 Election – The Diplomat The city-state’s next general election will be a key test for its ruling party.

YUNNAN

Yunnan poverty rate drops dramatically – GoKunming Recently released statistics from the Yunnan Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development show Yunnan’s poorest are significantly better off than they were four years ago. While millions continue to live at bare minimum levels, a dramatic decrease in what is termed ‘absolute poverty’ over the past four years is sign for optimism.

Yunnan’s Dulong minority, isolated no more – GoKunming The survey team from Yunnan University found state-funded housing and road projects are transforming the culture of the Dulong people (独龙族), who have for centuries inhabited the Dulong River area largely undisturbed. Now, with the opening of a tunnel and road in 2014, their traditional way of life has been changed and sometimes disrupted by a permanent link to the outside world. // Does the end of isolation in a globalizing world mean the end of zomia?

This week’s news digest was compiled by Julia Zielinski with analysis by Will Feinberg.

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by GoKunming | August 29, 2015 · 3:53 am

Yunnan’s Dulong minority isolated no more

Recently, the Ethnic Dulong Survey Team conducted a week of anthropological observation and interview research based around the remote village of Dizhengdang (迪政当村). Under the leadership of Professor Gao Zhiying (高志英), an expert on ethnic Dulong culture and society, the 21 team members spent three days heading from Kunming to one of Yunnan’s most remote river valleys.

The survey team from Yunnan University found state-funded housing and road projects are transforming the culture of the Dulong people (独龙族), who have for centuries inhabited theDulong River area largely undisturbed. Now, with the opening of a tunnel and road in 2014, their traditional way of life has been changed and sometimes disrupted by a permanent link to the outside world.

A bit of background

The town of Kongdang (孔当) sits on a plot of flat land by the Dulong River, and is also a stop on the Dulong River Road, which begins in Gongshan (贡山县). Dizhengdang is 42 kilometers further north of Kongdang and currently inhabited by 592 villagers comprising 158 households.

The narrow Dulong river valley is formed by an upstream tributary of the Irrawaddy River, which runs primarily through Yunnan before reaching Myanmar. Its course cuts across the Gaoligong Mountain Nature Reserve. Seventy percent of the entire Dulong population — roughly 4,000 people — call this area home. A long history of isolation and poverty has for decades made the Dulong targets of socio-economic aid and government-funded ‘reforms’.

The first of these began in 1964, with the establishment of the 65-kilometer People and Horse Track (人马驿道). This footpath was built largely by the People’s Liberation Army and opened a new avenue for the supply of everyday goods to inhabitants of the Dulong valley. The seven-day hike to Gongshan was cut to four, making the transport of commodities in both directions less cumbersome. A state-operated mule caravan later shuttled vital supplies such as grain and clothing back and forth over the mountains as well, ending the need for military parachute drops of supplies that preceded the path. In 1999, a 96-kilometer road from Gongshan to the Dulong River saw its first traffic, officially ‘opening up the last minority area in China‘.

Fifteen years later, a seven-kilometer tunnel opened along the Dulong River Road, reducing travel times further and making villages once unreachable during the winter months accessible year-round. Other branch roads are planned or under construction to even more distant hamlets. These include Dibuli (迪布里), Nandai (南代), and Xiongdang (雄当) near the Tibetan border — which are still only accessible by dirt paths, tiny suspension bridges and Yunnan’squickly disappearing ziplines.

Anthropological observations

Traditionally, the Dulong practiced subsistence slash-and-burn agriculture while cultivating corn, millet, buckwheat, taro and several varieties of beans. However, the Chinese government has, since 2003, subsidized many villages with cash and handouts of rice in efforts to conserve forested hillsides. This has had multiple and often contradictory consequences. In addition to hunting and fishing, the joint cultivation of traditional agriculture is a core element of Dulong culture, relating not just to native ecological knowledge, but also to religion and social organization.

Thus, the implementation of grain and cash handouts has increased the Dulong people’s dependency on state subsidies, decreased overall agro-biodiversity, and threatened to make endemic bio-cultural knowledge a thing of the past. The extra time saved from less farm work also leaves room for some villagers to seek out timber and herbs in the mountains, which, while increasing incomes, also results in unintended natural resource depletion and a new form of deforestation.

Between 2010 and 2014, the provincial government invested a further 1.3 billion yuan (US$203 million) in “improved housing, infrastructure, social development and environmental protection”. This included the building of several modern housing clusters not necessarily located near where their proposed inhabitants traditionally call home.

For example, the research team from Yunnan University observed in Dizhengdang that each household has its own house built by the state. However, the choice of the new village site only took into consideration road accessibility. The new compounds are convenient for villagers living nearby but for those living scattered in the mountains beyond road networks, a move to a new home without arable lands is problematic.

Among the 40 households in the northernmost hamlets of Xianghong and Nandai, not one them have moved to the new compounds in Xiongdang and Dizhengdang. When asked why they had not taken advantage of government housing, many replied “We don’t have farmland nearby the new villages, and the elderly also prefer to stay in the places where they grew up”. All villagers interviewed expressed satisfaction and gratitude for government subsidy policies, but considering the high cost of daily supplies transported to this remote valley, most Dulong people still have to work very hard in the fields to lead modest lives.

Another major factor soon to affect Dulong culture is the expected inundation of tourists hungry for the opportunity to see an ethnicity most famous for tattooing the faces of its women. While this practice is no longer common, many of the older female residents do still bear the marks of this tradition.

During the researchers’ one-week canvas of the area, the fledgling tourist industry was apparent, with visitors from Kunming and Shenzhen being the most prevalent. Due to the policies listed above — as well as the opening of a permanent road — the Dulong people are undergoing radical changes to their society and culture. How they adjust to the rapid encroachment of the outside world remains an open question.

This article written by Sun Fei was first published on 8/25 here on the GoKunming website.

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Filed under Agriculture, China, Culture, Current Events, Economic development, ethnic policy, SLIDER, Yunnan Province

Tagged as Dulong, Dulong river, ethnic policy in China, Irawaddy river, Yunnan's ethnicities, Zomia

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