The SRP Members of Parliament would like to draw to the attention of all bidders for building and running the so-called Bokor Dam that the current tender process is not legitimate and not acceptable to the future government. It is wise to consider the following factors before taking unnecessary investment risks.
1. The tender process is being conducted by a caretaker government that even His Majesty the King has, in so many occasions, indicated illegitimate. The caretaker government has no rights and legitimacy to obligate Cambodia into any long term and substantial commitment.
2. The environment impact has not been satisfactorily addressed. It is most commendable that the Canadian government saw it appropriate to help fund the impact study, and subsequently withdrew its support for the dam building.
3. The future government with a full participation of the SRP needs to conduct a fresh cost and benefit analysis to ensure that the Bokor Dam project will be beneficial to the nation, and environmentally sustainable in the long run. The future government reserves its right to revise the bidding process when the legitimate government is formed. It does not stand in the way of progress; but it is its responsibility to ensure that all national resources are utilised in a manner that will be of long-term benefit to most, if not all, of Cambodians.
[The SRP Members of Parliament]

Donn Kong : When I was an electrical engineering student in the 60's I was dreaming of some day seing several dams built in Cambodia for production of electricity. With a basic knowledge of water turbine design and the completion of the 18 megawatt hydroelectric dam at Kirirom with a technical assistance from Yugoslavia, my enthusiasm was very high. Benefits from hydroelectric dams would be huge in a land without any underground oil or gas deposits. But for the last thirty years reports on the environmental impacts created by dams in the US indicated otherwise. Dams did more damages than benefits. The Assuan Dam in Egypt has created the same problem, farmers downstream found their lands less fertile and fishermen found far less fishes to catch. In the near future when all the dams in China's Yunnan province are built, the negative impacts on Laos, Thailand, and mainly Cambodia where the Mekong crosses almost in the middle will be high. A few dams at high mountain altitudes along small rivers in Cambodia might be acceptable, but if some day the government of Cambodia approves the construction of a dam along the Mekong, such a government will only betray the younger generation.

N.P. : J'ai rêvé comme vous d'un Cambodge couvert de barrages hydro-électriques et je partage aussi, comme vous, la conclusion que ces ouvrages font beaucoup de mal à l'environnement. Planétairement, je crois que l'humanité est condamnée à disparaître, par la colère de Dieu (diraient les croyants), par nos besoins mêmes (diraient les athées). La population mondiale va en s'accroissant, on aura besoin de plus en plus d'électricité. L'homo sapiens sapiens a toujours voulu plus. On appelle cela le progrès. Plus de salaire, plus de motos, plus de voitures .... donc plus d'usines, plus de gaz à effet de serre. La température de la planète va en s'accroissant.
De l'autre côté il y aura de moins en moins d'espèces vivantes, moins de poissons, d'espaces verts, de terres fertiles. L'homme et la femme utiliseront leur cerveau pour progresser même au détriment de leurs propres congénères, même en exterminant des espèces vivantes entières (diraient les athées) ou d'autres créatures de Dieu (diraient les croyants).
Mais la planète s'est toujours recyclée. Les dinosaures, terreur et maître incontesté de leur époque, furent punis à mort par un gros météorite vérifié scientifiquement .... ou envoyé par Dieu. Des millions d'années avant eux, les monstres de l'ère permien ont été aussi punis à mort par une cause encore inconnue (*) .... ou par Dieu.
Alors nous, homo sapiens sapiens, allons-nous disparaître à cause de l'augmentation de la température de la terre ? Des savants disent-ils que le phénomène est irréversible ? Comme Khmer et croyant, j'invite tous les lecteurs à se rappeler (ou à connaître pour la première fois) la prophétie de l'Ère de Feu (Chhess Kalp) contenue dans la biographie (Jataka) du Bouddha. [ https://nearovipen.tripod.com/reform04.html ]

Donn Kong : I still believe that Cambodia should not even think of building any dam on the Mekong. The government should instead plan for large pumping stations along the river to irrigate large areas in the interior in Stung Treng, Kratie, Kampong Cham, Preah Vihear and Kampong Thom provinces. If Laos has done that through the Mekong Commission since the 80's why don't we do it? Talking about Laos I understand they have been planning to build more dams on the Mekong in addition to the Nam Ngum dam built in the late 60's and early 70's. I hope that's not true.

(*) Cette cause vient d'être connue, d'après l'émission Découverte de Radio-Canada du 3 octobre 2004.
 

JACKIE CHAN JOKE
APRIL 26th, 2004

LE PARI DE NUON CHEA
28 AVRIL 2004