In a letter for the attention of: The Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of China
Attachments:
1. Statement to the Chinese Government “Third Complaint to Chinese Government” (http://www.mekonglover.com/news_pop.asp? NewsId=151)
2. Study titled “Two Important Lessons from Mekong Mainstream Dams in China” (http://www.mekonglover.com/news_pop.asp? NewsId=141)
3. Book titled “Local cultural ecology and natural resource management in the Mekong Basin: A Case Study of the Mekong River-Lanna area”
Since the People’s Republic of China built four dams on the upper Mekong River, the people in downstream countries, namely Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, have suffered impacts on their ecosystems, food security, culture, economy, and society. The Peoples Republic of China has constantly ignored the petition letters from affected downstream communities.
We, the network of affected people, who have monitored the impacts of dams on the upper stretch of the Mekong River for over a decade, deliver a petition letter to the Chinese Government in the attached package and proposals to the Chinese government as follows:
1. The Chinese Government must stop building all dams on the upper Mekong River’s mainstream.
2. The Chinese Government must stop pursuing the Mekong River Rapids Blasting Project.
3. The Chinese Government must release data that details their operation of the upper Mekong dams and the past records of the river conditions before the dams were built.
4. The Chinese government is urged to ratify the ‘UN Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses’ and to encourage other Mekong countries to also ratify it. This would ensure that the future utilization of the river’s resources guarantees the sustainability of the ecosystem and shares the benefits in a just way
5. The Chinese government must cooperate with other Mekong governments to establish a joint committee, in which people affected by dams and blasting projects from each country are represented, to study and seek ways to manage the river in a just and sustainable way
6. The commission’s mission is also to revise the management of the four completed dams on the upper Mekong River and to seek approaches on managing their reservoirs without causing impacts to the downstream communities. The commission should also assess damage from the implemented projects and explore ways for the Chinese Government to compensate in the form of a fund to restore the ecology, culture, economy and society of the downstream communities.
We hereby present you with this letter with the aim of peacefully achieving a joint solution
Thai Peoples’ Network for the Mekong; Mekong-Lanna Natural Resources and Cultural Conservation Network; Chiang Kong Conservation Group; Eco- Culture Study Group/ Isan Human Rights and Peace Information Center; Hug Nam Khong; Towards Ecological Recovery and Regional Alliance (TERRA); Mekong Energy and Ecology Network (MEE Net); Living River Siam (SEARIN)
Source
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