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Civil society groups secure pledges from PM Hun Sen at forestry forum

By Nantiya Tangwisutijit

Billed as a Cambodian first, the invitation of 500 civil society and community representatives to a forum on environmental issues with Prime Minister Hun Sen proved largely a platform for the premier to hold forth on policy and politics, with many observers bemoaning the sidelining of community voices.

“We consider this an enlarged cabinet meeting and decisions taken today have the effect of cabinet decisions . . . otherwise the value of today is just sweet talk,” Hun Sen said near the start of a five-hour soliloquy on environmental policy that left little room for contributions from the audience.

At Environmental Forum, Hun Sen Spreads the Blame

By Nantiya Tangwisutijit

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday presided over the first of what he promised would be an annual public forum to discuss the plight of the country’s natural resources, though some participants left doubting the events would do much good.

The Forum on the Protection and Conservation of Natural Resources, held at the prime minister’s office building, was a rare chance for activists to put their concerns and requests straight to the premier. The government sought to convince them that it’s getting serious about preserving the country’s lakes, rivers and forests, which have been plundered for decades, often with the help of officials.

“Kong – Loei – Chi – Mun” Mega Project and Experts Concerns

By Paritta Wangkiat

Currently, the Mekong Delta provinces are facing saline water intrusion as a result of low water levels in the Mekong River. Cambodia and Lao PDR are also plan for similar water diversion projects. If the Kong-Loei-Chi-Mun and similar projects will be implemented in Cambodia and Lao PDR, the volume of flood water to Vietnam’s Mekong River Delta area will be significantly reduced. Furthermore, climate change and El Nino phenomenon will make the issue even more challenging.

Into the Zone: SEZs in the Mekong Region, Income…or Instability? (Part 2)

By Nantiya Tangwisutijit

While neighboring Thailand’s Special Economic Zones are now progressing without much public consultation or review, Myanmar may be moving in the opposite direction. Its three SEZs which were launched in the waning years of the junta, are now under the direction of the civilian government fully aware of concerns raised by communities and independent researchers, and inclined to take stock of what their predecessors set in motion. At issue are a whole range of social and environmental grievances, as well as the viability of the projects themselves and to what extent they reflect the new leadership’s priorities.

Thilawa Zone B to start in November

By Nantiya Tangwisutijit

Development of the second stage of the country’s first economic zone will begin with infrastructure including roads, electricity and water, said U Myint Zaw, general manager of Myanmar Japan Thilawa Development Limited.

“We will implement Zone B in phases. Once one phase is complete, we will start on the next one,” he said.

Meanwhile the smaller Zone A is around 90 percent complete, with US$760 million in foreign investment committed to the project across 400 hectares of land. The project is located to the south of Yangon.

Stakeholders Confirm Need for Public Participation in EIA Processes During Cambodia’s National Public Consultation Workshop

By Paritta Wangkiat

Mekong Partnership for the Environment Key stakeholders related to EIA in Cambodia provided feedback on Cambodia’s draft national guidelines on public participation in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process during the country’s first national public consultation workshop on 19 July 2016 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, organized by the Ministry of Environment with the Vishnu Law […]

Regional Journalist Network Examines Dams, Diversion, Drought and Difficult Decisions

By Paritta Wangkiat

At the junction of the Loei and Mekong Rivers in Thailand, Journalists from around the Mekong region examined an example of the current mix of stresses on the environment and communities across the region. The workshop “Mekong Matters: Water Governance on the Mekong River” brought 15 journalists from Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam together to examine how various water development projects are causing potentially irreversible changes to fisheries, farming, culture and water supply.

Regional Experts Ready to Launch Public Participation Guidelines for Public Input

By Paritta Wangkiat

Regional experts from government and civil society finalized the draft set of guidelines for engaging the public in Environmental Impact Assessment processes. The Guidelines will next be reviewed by the public in a coordinated series of region-wide public consultations in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam beginning in late September and wrapping up in October.